Bob Zapata is Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Strategic Transactions, Finance & Technology for TIAA, a Fortune 100 financial services and insurance company. In this role, Bob leads the legal teams responsible for Mergers & Acquisitions, Strategic Investments, Venture Capital, Corporate Finance, Reinsurance, Technology, AI, Data Privacy, and Strategic Sourcing. As lead counsel for TIAA’s Technology/Digital organization, Bob helps drive strategic innovation by developing and implementing forward-thinking legal frameworks for AI governance, IP protection, and data privacy. As lead counsel for TIAA Ventures, Bob helps TIAA deliver on strategy and transformation through investments in early and growth-stage FinTech start-ups and FinTech-focused VC funds.

Prior to joining TIAA in 2017, Bob was Executive Counsel, M&A at General Electric. During his 25+ year career, Bob has led transactions totaling more than $120 billion.

Bob is a member of the NYC Bar Association’s Committee on Mergers & Acquisitions and serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of Greenwich Ballet Academy. Bob also leads TIAA’s pro bono program within Law & Policy, partnering with legal aid organizations to expand access to high quality legal services for underserved individuals and communities.

Bob earned his bachelor’s degree with honors from Harvard and his law degree from Georgetown.