Chase Your Goals with Conviction

CxO, a lawyer, and board member, Kim Sinatra, knows a thing or two about chasing down dreams. After finding herself in need of a quick career transition after just a year in Las Vegas, she sent a letter to Steve Wynn asking to join his new venture. Steve took her up on her offer, and she joined Wynn Resorts, rising to EVP and General Counsel, a leadership role she held for over 15 years.

Kim shares her fearless optimism and bright vision in this episode of Net Effects Podcast. She talks with podcast co-hosts Les Ottolenghi and Mark Bavisotto about lessons learned over four decades of business and her new initiative, Woman Up. An organization that acts as a comprehensive resource for women through mentoring and sustainable change for advancing equity.

Episode highlights:

Be opportunistic with life, career, and business. “If you’re too entrenched in a plan, you miss all kinds of fun and opportunities that may come your way.”

Create an environment of belonging, safety, and equity for all. Digitization helps mobilize and get out a message, but nothing supersedes face-to-face and connects on a human, individual level.

Real, endemic change requires a revolution. Participate in a kind, respectful revolution that minimizes hate while concurrently acknowledging and addressing hard around equitable opportunity. Change comes from cracking down old systems that are unhelpful. Doing this makes space for creating meaningful, substantive conversations.

Grow and use experiences to influence future-self. There must be cognizance around kindness — respect people, be mindful of challenges, and be ready to work when you walk through the door. Lead with quality, excellence, and showing up every day.

Communicate value and purpose. Consistent value systems are critical. When you pick a company and group of colleagues, make sure what they care about is consistent with what you care about.

Other topics covered in this episode include working with mentors and colleagues, disruptive enlightenment, and self-transformation. Listen to the full episode now.

About Kim Sinatra: Kim is a board director and strategist who empowers organizations to scale great ideas into bold businesses, brands, and cultures. As general counsel to both public and private companies, Kim has employed extensive business strategy, compliance, and governance expertise to grow early-stage companies into recognizable global brands. She is a lawyer who understands complex businesses and financial statements and works as a bridge between brilliant founders and their boards, regulators, and other stakeholders. As a board member, Kim creates shareholder value by building consensus, resolving conflict, and bridging innovation, communication, and inclusion. She brings a balanced perspective to businesses looking to develop long-term strategic solutions that benefit all stakeholders.

Kim most recently served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Wynn Resorts (NSDQ: WYNN), where she helped to grow the company from a development-stage business to a publicly-traded industry leader. Over her 14 years at the company, she worked side-by-side with Steve Wynn, the Board of Directors, and other members of the senior management team to manage over $14 billion in capital and $20 billion in market cap across operations in the U.S. and China.

Before joining Wynn, Kim helped drive the success of another iconic name in entertainment as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Caesars Entertainment (NSDQ: CZR). She led the company’s legal department, managed the operational integration of two major acquisitions, drove development efforts for large-scale expansions, and implemented foundational compliance programs.

Kim joined Caesars from The Griffin Group, Merv Griffin’s entertainment, hospitality, and real estate investment company, where she was Executive Vice President and General Counsel. She was previously a partner at Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher LLP.

Kim regularly leverages her executive experience to support the culture and people of Nevada. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, where she has personally represented foster children before the courts for more than 15 years. She spent 14 years on the Board of Directors for Las Vegas’s Smith Center for the Performing Arts and was also appointed by the Governor of Nevada to the state’s Campus Improvement and Sports and Entertainment Authorities to drive opportunities in the Las Vegas area. Her work led to the construction and funding of the $1.9 billion Allegiant Stadium, now home to the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.