Ahmad Qazi: Where Strategy Meets Grit

Ahmad Qazi has vivid memories of playing chess with his father as a child growing up in Pakistan. Qazi still cherishes those memories, though he doesn’t get much time to play these days. Fortunately, he chose a career path that requires strategy in virtually everything he does. As the current Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at a medical device company named Masimo, he remains deeply engaged in strategic planning, now not on the chessboard, but at the intersection of law and business.

“It’s rare to find something that will increase your chances of success from, say, 40 percent to 80 percent,” Qazi explains. “Whether it’s a transactional matter or litigation, strategic decisions will generally increase the likelihood of the desired outcome from 40 percent to 40.5 percent to 41 percent and so on. That’s why every single decision point is important. Everything counts—of course some things more than others—but everything counts.”

Qazi admits that it can be hard to put his work philosophy into practice day in and day out. But the meticulous attention to detail, paired with strategic thinking focused on the end goal, has been the AGC and in-house counsel’s path to a successful legal career.

A True Business Partner

Qazi joined Masimo as one of its first three lawyers in the US. The role required the attorney to roll up his sleeves and help wherever he was needed. For the first few years at Masimo, Qazi spent his time reviewing agreements, advising human resources, doing M&A work, and assisting with compliance, privacy, government grants, and more. This was a radical departure from his training as a litigator in big law. 

“I had to learn and adapt quickly, moving from complex litigation to transactional matters” Qazi says. “At the time, that’s what the company needed most and the best way I could have added value, so that’s what I did.” Coworkers across various functions started reaching out to him on legal issues, which allowed him to establish relationships across the organization, gain a better understanding of the business and the Company’s needs, and provide practical legal advice. “Being a good lawyer is necessary, but it’s not enough. As in-house counsel, you need to be a true business partner,” Qazi says.

Masimo’s legal team has since grown and diversified, allowing Qazi to spend more time on litigation. Qazi has since managed global litigation, investigations, and employment law compliance, including matters in more than a dozen countries, and handled trials and arbitrations across Asia and Europe.  Most notably, he recently worked with a team of outside counsel in a patent infringement case against Apple in the Central District of California, which resulted in a $634 million award following an eight-day jury trial.  “I was humbled by the outcome,” Qazi says.  “It proved what a dedicated team can accomplish.”  

Sixth Sense

Qazi’s experiences have shaped a remarkable ability to quickly absorb complex issues and effectively navigate cross-jurisdictional issues.  His experience runs so deep at this point, Qazi has developed a seeming sixth sense for what works and what doesn’t, both in the US and outside of it.

“Overtime you develop instincts, a sort of sixth sense, that lets you know when something feels off. Those instincts are almost always right. You have to trust them,” the VP explains. He has been fortunate to work with outside counsel he respects and can trust, but he remains ever vigilant: “At the end of the day, the buck stops with you.”

Sense of Purpose

It’s clear that Qazi places a high premium on growth. Over time, he has ebbed and flowed as Masimo has needed, and he has continued to help the organization expand. At the same time, he admits that he could not do it alone.

“You can accomplish a lot by yourself, but you need a team to scale effectively,” the AGC explains. “You have to find the right people and then trust them to do the job.” A strong team allows him to shift focus to high-priority tasks that are most important to the Company, but he is not remiss of the human element. “We’re not just coworkers. We’re also friends.”

When asked how he feels about working at Masimo, Qazi explained that he hails from a family of physicians. “It’s in our DNA to help people, and I consider it a privilege to be a part of a company that saves lives.”