Shana Simmons

Biography

Shana Simmons is the Chief Legal Officer at Zendesk where she leads the global legal department in facilitating growth, mitigating risk, and helping shape the company's strategy to maximize value for Zendesk's customers and stakeholders. Shana joined Zendesk in March 2024. Prior to Zendesk she served as the Chief Legal Officer at Everlaw where she spearheadedthe lgal department overseeing legal, regulatory, privacy, governance, risk and compliance. Before Everlaw, Shana was Head of Go-To-Market Legal at Google Cloud, where her team played a pivotal role in expanding the business into global and regulated markets. Shana is a leader who achieves results by investing in and mentoring team, helping people grow into their full potential. She earned her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law and holds a B.A. with honors from Wesleyan University. Outside of work, she serves as a corporate board member for HiHello and Serves on the boards of Wesleyan University and the Oakland Zoo. Shana lives in Oakland, California with her husband and two children.

Sessions

1. Closing the AI Trust Gap in CX

   Thu, Nov 5, 1:00 PM – 1:40 PM CT

   Track Artificial Intelligence

   Customer-facing AI is scaling fast. Trust is becoming the limiting factor. In this fireside chat, Zendesk Chief Legal Officer Shana Simmons breaks down what it takes to build AI that customers and frontline teams will actually adopt, built around three requirements: mandatory transparency, operational explainability, and real accountability. For technical leaders deploying AI in high-stakes customer moments.