Rachel George – APRO Board member, and Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Chief Compliance Officer, and Corporate Affairs Officer at Aaron’s, LLC – received the In-House Impact Award at the Law.com 2023 Southeastern Legal Awards ceremony, held in Atlanta, Georgia.
The award honors an in-house lawyer who created innovative programs, used ingenuity to solve problems, or surmounted a scarcity of resources to continue delivering high-quality client service.
Despite challenges like the pandemic, high inflation, and disrupting workforce shifts, George played a key role last year in:
- establishing Aaron’s as a NYSE-listed, standalone public company;
- restructuring the corporate headquarters team and units across the enterprise;
- streamlining costs and improving efficiencies for the organization;
- overseeing the $230-million acquisition of BrandsMart USA, a leading appliance and electronics retailer in the southeastern United States;
- conducting a comprehensive overhaul of Aaron’s compliance-management program; and
- implementing new technology to allow billing programs to align more seamlessly with different aspects of the business.
“Her business-friendly approach and unique legal, transactional, and regulatory acumen were integral to these accomplishments, and she has become an invaluable adviser to the CEO and the Board of Directors,” read George’s nominating essay.
“Every member of our legal team maintains a laser-like focus on our mission,” said George, “to enhance people’s lives by providing easy access to high-quality products on affordable terms. With each task we take on, we’re continually asking ourselves how our work and advice can add value to our business.”