William M. Washington, III is the Global Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Baker McKenzie. As CFO, he is responsible for the firm's financial operations, which totals more than over $3 billion in revenue across 76 offices in 45 countries. In his role, he is responsible for over 1,400 people and serves on the Executive Committee, Financial Committee and many other strategic committees related to the Firm's operations. William has also served as the CFO – Americas for Hogan Lovells where he worked closely with firm leadership to formulate a vision for the future of the firm and provide an understanding of the firm’s financial picture to help drive profitability.
Before joining Hogan Lovells, William worked at two other AmLaw 100 law firms and has served in leadership positions in other diverse industries including Consulting (Accenture) and Financial Services (Fannie Mae). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Mississippi State University, an MBA from the University of Maryland University College and a Master’s in Law Firm Management from George Washington University, in addition to being a Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence. and has a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. William is married to Tracy Washington, retired - International Finance Corporation (World Bank) and Adjunct Professor - Georgetown University. They have four wonderful children and reside in Bethesda, MD.
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From High School Dropout to Global CFO of a $3B Law Firm: William Washington III on Leading Finance Across 45 Countries
I sat down with William Washington III, Global CFO of Baker McKenzie. He oversees $3 billion in revenue across 45 countries. His CFO told him he would be ready in five years. He said give me one. A year later, he had the job. We talked about the coaching session that made it happen, how he leads as ...