Aisha Christian

Associate General Counsel   
Russell Reynolds Associates 
New York City
Age: 38
 
Aisha Christian has been practicing law for more than 13 years and shows no signs of slowing down. She began her diverse career as a law clerk for the Honorable Barrington D. Parker Jr., a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (then of the Southern District of New York), and then joined the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell as a corporate associate. She also served as senior counsel for six years at CNBC before joining global executive search and assessment firm Russell Reynolds Associates as associate general counsel. She looks forward to achieving a general counsel position within the next five years. “I’m most proud of being able to shift successfully from being a securities attorney at a law firm to a media lawyer for a major entertainment company and now a senior attorney at a leading global executive search firm,” says Christian. “I have been able to have a broad legal career and have not been forced to specialize.”

Christian received a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. She attributes much of her success to her parents, as well as to mentors who guided her early in her career on how to approach legal issues and client services. An avid philanthropist, she is an active board member for Inwood House, an organization focused on teen pregnancy prevention and the provision of housing, education and other services. She is also a project adviser to and former board member of Promise Project, which assists children with learning differences.

If she had the money, she would provide all children with top-notch, free education. Christian likes to keep her personal life stress-free. “I have a beautiful and very special four-year-old son and I look forward to each new day,” she explains.

Fun Facts
Favorite book: the Iliad
Sport you play best: Skiing
Favorite comedian: Chris Rock