John Dezee

Background

About John Dezee

I am the Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Century Aluminum Company (NASDAQ: CENX), a public international manufacturer and the largest US producer of aluminum. As a trusted advisor to the CEO, board of directors, and executive management, I focus on making the legal department a true partner to the business, developing flexible and creative solutions to achieve strategic business goals, and minimizing legal risk. My areas of focus include corporate governance, ESG and sustainability, compliance, labor and employment, commercial transactions, contract negotiations, litigation, government relations, and corporate communications. I began my legal career at Paul Hastings, an Am Law 25 firm, where I handled a variety of intellectual property, employment, securities, and complex business litigation matters. I then moved to a boutique firm and later helped open the satellite office of Payne & Fears, a spin-off from Paul Hastings, gaining more exposure to broad commercial litigation matters. From there, I joined James Hardie Industries, a public manufacturing company (NYSE: JHX), where I continued to handle commercial litigation and IP transactions, but also broadened my experience in commercial negotiations and contracts. Across my career and life, I have learned important lessons about perseverance, humility, determination, focus, and the importance of family. These experiences have shaped me greatly and taught me to appreciate hard work, tackling challenges with a proactive mindset and overcoming obstacles to consistently grow. I am also proud to be a first-generation college graduate, which has further shaped my desire to inspire and mentor people I work with, and not only serve as a great lawyer, but a passionate business leader as well. Areas of Expertise: Corporate Governance, ESG & Sustainability, Global Compliance, Commercial Transactions, M&A Due Diligence, Contract Negotiations, Commercial Litigation, Employment Litigation & Advisory, Labor Law