The Abstract Ep 115: From Career Break to CLO: How Shanti Ariker Rebuilt Her Legal Career
In this episode of The Abstract, host Tyler Finn speaks with Shanti Ariker, Chief Legal Officer at JFrog, about her unconventional journey from taking a six-year career break to leading legal teams at Salesforce, Twilio, Zendesk, and beyond. Shanti shares lessons on reinvention, resilience, and empathetic leadership — from returning to work as a contracts manager to navigating billion-dollar acquisitions and leading through global crises.
Whether you’re building your in-house career or leading a team, this conversation offers practical insights on growth, adaptability, and finding purpose in every chapter.
Read detailed transcript: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-115
Topics
Introduction and career overview – 00:00
Stepping away from full-time work and returning after six years – 02:41
Re-entering the legal workforce in Canada and taking a step back – 05:47
Breaking into Salesforce through networking and early contributions – 12:50
Building the Salesforce Canada legal team and launching pro bono work – 15:30
Becoming General Counsel at salesforce.org and leading through learning – 19:20
Innovative legal models and lessons from the salesforce.org structure – 22:17
Transitioning back to for-profit legal roles and rebuilding GC credentials – 24:56
GC role at Zendesk: From steady start to activist investors and take-private – 33:44
Managing governance, communication, and morale during high-stakes transitions – 37:35
Joining JFrog and leading through the Israel crisis – 43:03
Evolving leadership style through personal and professional challenges – 47:07
Rapid-fire Questions – 51:45
Connect with us:
Shanti Ariker - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanti-ariker/
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft
SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.