ServiceNow has appointed Hossein Nowbar as president and chief legal officer, elevating a long-time Microsoft legal executive into a newly combined leadership role that spans law, policy and corporate governance. The announcement was disclosed in a company release carried by Business Wire.

Nowbar joins from Microsoft, where he most recently served as chief legal officer and corporate vice president. Over more than 25 years at the company, he held senior roles across cloud, AI and corporate legal affairs, ultimately overseeing Microsoft’s global legal and compliance organization.

At ServiceNow, Nowbar will oversee legal, ethics, governance, compliance, risk, sustainability, and government affairs, consolidating functions that are increasingly central for enterprise technology companies operating across jurisdictions. Russ Elmer, who has served as ServiceNow’s CLO since 2018, will transition to special counsel, remaining involved in strategic legal matters.

For in-house legal teams, the move reflects a broader trend: boards and CEOs are looking to legal chiefs with deep regulatory and policy experience as AI, data protection and geopolitical risk move from background issues to core business concerns. Nowbar is widely known for his work on artificial intelligence governance, privacy, cross-border data regulation and intellectual property during his tenure at Microsoft.

Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair and president, said in the announcement that ServiceNow is “incredibly fortunate” to have Nowbar, citing more than two decades of close collaboration. Bill McDermott, ServiceNow’s chair and CEO, framed the hire as part of the company’s next phase of global growth, emphasizing trust and governance at scale.

Nowbar also brings a significant external profile within the legal profession. He serves on the Association of Corporate Counsel Global Board of Directors, sits on the board of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and is a member of the Pro Bono Institute’s Corporate Pro Bono Advisory Board.