At IDC, our analysts and data get a lot of the spotlight, and rightfully so. But behind every research report, every client relationship, and every strategic decision is a team of people making sure IDC can do what it does best. Renuka Drummond, IDC’s General Counsel, is one of those people. And this spring, the broader legal community took notice.
Renuka was named one of the Top 10 Corporate Counsel worldwide by the OnCon Icon Awards, a peer and community-voted recognition that honors professionals who have made a considerable impact on their organizations, shown innovation in their roles, and demonstrated exceptional leadership. It’s a meaningful distinction in a field where the best work often happens quietly, behind the scenes.
A career built on being close to the business
Renuka’s path to IDC started in Big Law in New York, where she spent roughly a decade advising private equity clients and global companies on complex, multi-jurisdictional transactions at Baker Botts and Akin Gump. But she felt drawn to something different: being inside the business, closer to strategy and the people responsible for execution.
That pull led her to Cognizant, a Fortune 200 global technology company, where she led M&A as Associate General Counsel, managing cross-border acquisitions and integrations across healthcare, financial services, and digital industries on a global scale. From there, she became Chief Legal Officer at MediaKind, where she helped the company shift from legacy business models toward more sustainable growth.
She came to IDC because it brought those threads together: technology, data, global operations, and a company with a strong reputation at the center of how tech decisions get made.
What the work actually looks like
As general counsel, Renuka leads IDC’s legal team, which includes privacy and compliance, and supports work across the entire company. That means commercial contracts, data privacy, intellectual property, AI governance, legal entity management, and employee matters. Day to day, her team works alongside sales, product, finance, HR, and senior leadership.
She also serves as Corporate Secretary to IDC’s board, helping navigate governance and serving as a bridge between management and the board of directors.
“The simplest way to describe my job,” Renuka says, “is that I help IDC move quickly while staying protected.”
Proud of what the legal team is building
When asked what she’s most proud of at IDC, Renuka points to the role her team is playing in IDC’s AI transformation. IDC’s business depends on the quality and trustworthiness of its proprietary research and data. As AI has changed how information is accessed and embedded in customers’ workflows, the legal team has had to think carefully: building legal frameworks for new products, modernizing customer agreements, developing responsible AI terms and disclosures, and supporting new ways for customers to use IDC’s research.
“I’m proud of that because it captures what legal does best,” she says, “which is protect the company’s core assets while helping the business grow at the same time.”
Advice worth passing on
For anyone early in a legal career, Renuka offers two pieces of guidance: be curious about the business, and be intentional about the people you learn from.
Technical legal skills matter, she says. But the lawyers who become truly indispensable are the ones who understand how a company grows, what customers care about, and what risks actually matter in that context.
She also encourages young lawyers to choose their teams carefully. Surround yourself with people who will challenge you, invest in you, and hand you hard problems before you feel completely ready for them. “That’s how you build judgment and confidence,” she says, “and the ability to become a trusted advisor.”
