Simone Wu’s Leadership in Choice Hotels’ Legal Strategy
A sheer powerhouse, Simone Wu has a career spanning three decades across technology, telecommunications, travel, hospitality and franchising. However, it is her legal expertise and experience – and commitment to corporate diversity – that make her stand apart.
For the past 13 years, Simone has served as senior vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary & external affairs for Choice Hotels International. Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Choice is one of the largest lodging franchisers in the world. The company boasts 22 brands, more than 7,500 hotels and nearly 650,000 rooms across 46 countries.
Simone leads the company’s legal, government affairs, public policy and risk management functions, majorly serving as the primary legal adviser to the company’s senior management team and board of directors. In addition to leading the company’s legal function, she oversees risk management, procurement services, external communications and government and public relations.
An integral member of the top management team, Simone advocates for workplace diversity and promotes Choice’s commitment to her shared values. In a 2017 industry publication, she is quoted: “I’m very proud to be at Choice Hotels where we foster an inclusive culture built on diversity of thought, background and experience. This allows us to make better decisions, and attract and retain talent across demographic profiles.”
In 2013, Simone received the Asian American Legal Defense Education Fund Justice in Action Award for leadership and dedication to promote diversity in the legal profession.
She was honored at New York City’s Chelsea Pier alongside U.S. John Lewis, D-GA, (now deceased) and journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, founder of Define American, an immigration policy awareness non-profit organization.
In her acceptance speech, covered by Multi-Cultural Law magazine, Simone noted: “Lawyers have a unique role in society because we serve as a voice for others. In that capacity, among our responsibilities is to contribute to our communities, deliver justice and to pave the way for others to do the same … Today, we have the opportunity to heighten our efforts to pursue these goals in the area of diversity and inclusion. Yet here we are well into the 21st century and we still have many pockets where the voices of some are still underrepresented or barely heard.”
Simone is a native of Detroit, Michigan. Her parents had immigrated there from China.
She has a degree in political science from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Columbia University. She began her legal career in 1989, and practicing corporate transactional and communications law at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York, New York.
In a publication by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association when Simone worked for XO Communications in the early 2000s, she was celebrated as being among 17 Fortune 1000 lawyers of Asian backgrounds. Simone shared her experience as a fledgling member of the New York law firm.
“Wu says she has had few negative experiences being Asian American and a woman in law. ‘It could be I was simply very fortunate, or the places I’ve been have been open-minded.’
“Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom had an Asian American female partner in the office where Wu started her practice as an associate in 1989. ‘Knowing her and seeing her there subconsciously made the environment welcoming,’ says Wu. She worked mostly for white males, and says she learned that they and the firm cared about work quality rather than race or gender. ‘People were rewarded for what they did.’”
In the MCCA publication, entitled “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling,” Simone shared she is committed to encouraging other minorities to pursue higher education and a law career.
“‘I’ve personally been trying to make more of an effort to do more outreach to law students and younger lawyers…I try to be somewhat visible and speak at events, and make myself available to people who have questions. The key as a lawyer is to do good work, but to the extent I can help someone or impart some advice on the intangibles, that’s a good thing.’”
Simone joined Choice Hotels in 2012, bringing wide-ranging legal, regulatory and executive experience and expertise. Prior to joining Choice Hotels, Simone was executive vice president, general counsel, and administration for XO Communications, a nationwide provider of advanced IP communications, managed network and IT infrastructure services.
She also has served on the international legal team at MCI and in a business role negotiating technology transactions at AOL. Her journey also includes key leadership roles at MCI (also acquired by Verizon), technology transactions at AOL, and influential positions at two tech start-ups.
She is on the board of Alarm.com, a platform for intelligently connected properties, where she plays a key role on the compensation committee. She was appointed to the board in February 2020.
Her influence extends beyond the boardroom: She's also spearheaded procurement services, corporate communications, public and media relations, and served as chief compliance officer.
Simone’s call to leadership surpasses her corporate roles. She’s a board member of Reading is Fundamental, dedicated to fostering a love of reading, and AHLA. Her past board positions include the International Franchise Association, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Association of Corporate Counsel – National Capital Region, and The Inkwell Theater, a nonprofit resource for playwright and theater development.
Throughout her career, Simone has been an outspoken proponent of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. She has frequently participated in diversity events, including Corporate Counsel Women of Color conventions. She has been a long-time supporter of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, serving as a board member from 2007 to 2020 and board chair from 2013 to 2015; Association of Corporate Counsel – National Capital Region, serving as a board member from 2012 to 2018; and National Asian and Pacific American Bar Association, serving as co-chair of the In-House Network from 2012 to 2018.
