By Andrew Cohen
Angeli Patel ’20 traveled nearly 6,000 miles to the recent World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The gap to resolving vital corporate issues — rebuilding trust, reimagining growth, safeguarding the planet, operating industries in the intelligence age — seems even longer.
As executive director of Berkeley Center for Law and Business (BCLB), Patel helps budding corporate leaders learn how to advance strategy, governance, and innovation in an increasingly complicated landscape. In Davos, she emphasized the importance of the law in ensuring sound corporate oversight, fostering trust in private transactions, and creating accountability for all stakeholders.
Her center works to distinguish between substantive developments and sensational narratives, and to show why business decisions should anticipate long-term societal impacts as well as drive innovation.
Its framework for this — which uses legal risk analysis to identify opportunities where others see constraints — stresses engagement (understanding and acting on stakeholder relationships), endurance (building resilient corporate structures), and evolution (adapting strategy to address societal gaps).
“The next generation of corporate leaders needs to understand that legal risk analysis isn’t a constraint – it’s a tool for identifying opportunities others might miss,” Patel explains. “At BCLB, we’re teaching them how to navigate complexity while driving meaningful innovation.”
A practicing attorney, Patel has advised global governments, federal agencies, and NGOs on government digitization, modernization, and management reform; sustainability governance; consumer privacy; anti-corruption initiatives; corporate strategy; and human rights issues. Also a startup advisor and entrepreneur, she launched an e-commerce business for women of color in 2021 and advises Mandala, a leadership and development startup on corporate strategy and AI.
Below, Patel describes the issues global business leaders confronted in Davos and how BCLB is working to advance sustainable business practices and sound corporate law.
What motivated you to attend the annual meeting, and what was your role there?
I attended the annual meeting because this year’s agenda perfectly aligned with what’s unfolding in Silicon Valley — the AI boom and the increasingly complex relationship between venture capital and government institutions. At BCLB, we’re focused on leveraging business law to shape a more sustainable and equitable economy. Given these intersecting priorities, we felt it was crucial to contribute to the conversation.
Why has there been a decline of trust in business institutions?
The past decade has seen declining trust in governments worldwide, and more recently, we’re witnessing a similar decline in trust toward Western businesses. This stems from growing income inequality, political polarization, and weakening social safety nets. Declining trust in government and business is a threat to global peace. While individual companies operate within this broader context, these concerns often don’t translate into corporate strategy beyond the c-suite. Many companies continue with business as usual, as if issues like income inequality, climate change, or political instability don’t affect their relevance.
What role can the center play in helping to rebuild that trust?
We can help sound the alarm bells, and who better to alert companies about these seismic societal shifts than legal leaders? We’re seeing this become a key focus in our Leadership Lunch Series with chief legal officers. It’s no coincidence that many of our alumni, like Kristin Sverchek (former president and general counsel at Lyft) and Steve Johnson ’83 (vice chair and chief strategy officer at American Airlines) have moved from chief legal officer to president or lead strategy roles. Our mission is to educate, empower, and activate legal leaders to guide companies toward a more resilient, sustainable, and socially relevant future.
How is the backlash against environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations impacting business strategies?
The backlash, which remains more political than strategic, has been significant. We’re seeing companies backtrack on their DEI and ESG commitments. However, this pushback has also helped companies refine their long-term sustainability strategies to align with their business strategy. It’s hard to argue against a profitable company that consistently creates sustainable value for both shareholders and stakeholders, especially in today’s hyper-competitive world.
What dangers does this backlash present?
The real danger lies in the distraction and confusion the backlash creates, particularly for companies that rely heavily on stakeholder relationships. The anti-ESG movement has unfortunately evolved into an anti-DEI stance, creating challenges for companies focusing on talent retention and connecting with next-generation customers. The silver lining is that companies are learning to better filter feedback from investors, customers, and employees, incorporating what’s truly beneficial into their strategy — which was the original purpose of ESG anyways.
With the growing urgency caused by climate change, how are business leaders responding — or not responding?
In Davos, climate change was paired with AI. It’s becoming clear that companies leading the AI race need significant access to energy. Fossil fuels simply aren’t sustainable for AI’s energy demands — which is why we’re seeing companies like NVIDIA and Meta investing in nuclear power plants. While this raises its own concerns, business leaders now have a compelling incentive to pursue energy independence as it directly impacts their AI capabilities.
For companies not directly involved in AI processing power or its supply chain, climate change priorities are largely driven by European regulations. While the World Economic Forum has long advocated for climate impact awareness, this year AI dominated the conversation, with sustainability viewed primarily through that lens.
What is BCLB’s approach with its programs and students in this fast-changing corporate landscape?
Berkeley Law leads in challenging the status quo, and our business law program is no exception. Legal education is more valuable than ever — not just for understanding rules and regulations, but for systems thinking. As AI emerges, our students are perfectly positioned to become tomorrow’s strategic leaders. Lawyers have historically played many roles beyond advisors, particularly as social leaders. If AI eventually replaces judgment, even if it is decades from now, what remains is our ability to rally people to important causes. That work has to start today.
Berkeley Law students are unique — they’re trained to challenge traditional thinking and push boundaries. Our programs transform this activist spirit into leadership potential, helping students channel their passion into effective corporate leadership. We want them to think beyond becoming legal advisors — we want Berkeley Law alums aiming for CEO positions. They truly represent the future of corporate America.