Finalist: Jason Weintraub

Chief Legal Officer
Jacuzzi Group
UC Berkeley School of Law

Jason Weintraub is an innovative, award-winning general counsel with a demonstrated history of transforming the legal department from a cost center to a profit center. At Taco Bell, for example, his work enabled over $150 million in procurement savings alone in just three years. Currently, at Jacuzzi Group, Weintraub’s recovery and negotiation efforts added over $25 million to the company’s bottom line in his first year. He also closed three M&A transactions in his first 18 months at Jacuzzi, broadening the company’s global manufacturing footprint in both the spa and bath industries.

Also in the past 24 months, Weintraub launched an affirmative recovery program at Jacuzzi, yielding $4.5 million in recoveries within the first nine months. He developed a law firm preferred provider program that cut outside counsel spending by over 30% in the first 12 months despite the company’s revenue doubling during that same period.