For Stryker
Application for Associate Counsel Information Technology Procurement
Dear Stryker’s Global, Quality and Operations (GQO) Legal team
My name is
Ernesto Mendieta
I am a Technology & Telecommunications lawyer with experience practicing in the U.S. and Mexico currently living and working semi-remotely in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with my Michigander wife and two daughters. We love the beach, traveling, and breakfast [almost] every Sunday at our favorite local diner. I enjoy watching British & Mexican soccer, practicing law as an in-house counsel for future-focused global organizations, and I am uniquely qualified for the “Associate Counsel – IT Procurement” opportunity at Stryker.
My day-to-day practice covers the spectrum of responsibilities and preferred profile published in the Job Description, and I have done all of the expected actions during my more than 10 years of experience, the last five of which have been as Senior Legal counsel – Technology & Telecom for the Americas at DHL. I would use this expertise to become a reliable and successful legal business partner within Stryker.
As one of the logistics leaders in the world, with more than 600,000 employees, DHL has a vast and diverse need for IT solutions provided by third parties. I practice on behalf of the Global IT Legal Team of DHL, heading the Americas region. I am the lead counsel and in charge of all Technology Procurement in North, South, and Central America, and the Caribbean, as well as the lead counsel globally for Telecom Procurement.
As part of my role, I continuously draft and actively negotiate IT procurement agreements for such purposes, acquiring critical solutions for the operation of the business, supporting cross-functional teams around the world, and involving deals over 100 million USD. This includes procurement of SaaS, on-prem software, hardware, AI solutions, telecom services, and other IT professional services. Additionally, I provide legal advice to the business on developing and implementing compliance programs for data privacy and information security.
Most recently, I was bestowed with the DHL General Counsel Award for leading the 2024 “Digital Hygiene” project – an innovative legal strategy that reprioritized how the global group handled, stored, and disposed of data, with an emphasis on security and sustainability. This was an accomplishment that built on my career as data governance thought-leader and coincided with the global business’s keenness in digitalization.
Prior to my five years as in-house counsel with DHL, I worked diligently for several years in law firms big and boutique, billing as an Associate in Washington, D.C. and Mexico City. It was during these years advising international technology companies in transactions, compliance, arbitration, litigation, and regulatory matters, that I forged my position a reliable business ally.
My academic background has also perfectly prepared me for this position. I completed the equivalent of my J.D. in Mexico at Universidad Panamericana, and continued my studies with a Master’s Degree in the U.S. I graduated with my LL.M. at Georgetown Law School in 2016 with an emphasis on Tech & Telecom Law, quickly earning an externship on a complex telecom-related international arbitration case. I was admitted to practice law in the State of New York that same year and have been widely-recommended as a steadfast IT legal counselor ever since.
All considered, I am pleased to submit my application to Stryker as an extremely well-qualified Associate Legal Counselor in IT Procurement, where I would continue my legacy of living a well-balanced life with my family while providing reliable legal deliverables for the business that I am aligned with.
Best regards,
Ernesto Mendieta
ernestomendietam@gmail.com
+1 (202) 909-5586