Phillip Zackler

Phillip Zackler (he/him) is General Counsel, Vice President of Operations, Chief Safety Officer and Secretary at Toyota Research Institute (TRI). Phillip is responsible for the Legal/Compliance, Facilities, and General Operations functions and provides executive support to the People/Culture and Executive Program Management. Phillip was initially hired to buildout the legal team and, given his passion for execution and broad generalist experience, took over leadership/management of various non-legal functions. Phillip has at various times been responsible for the Communications and Procurement departments in addition to his other duties.

Phillip also oversees the legal and operational support of Toyota Ventures (TV), the corporate venture capital subsidiary with over $200 million assets under management. Phillip has been directly involved with TV since inception, helping it navigate a myriad of legal issues from fund formation to deal management and regulatory compliance.

Phillip started his legal career at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Minami Tamaki LLP in San Francisco before joining the in-house legal team at GoPro, Inc. During his time at GoPro, Phillip was counsel for the Software & Services department and supported Finance, HR, IT, and other general/administrative departments. Outside of TRI Phillip is passionate about using his skills to help the broader community, serving for over 10 years on the Board of Directors of the Glide Foundation in San Francisco, providing pro bono representation to various San Francisco entrepreneurs, small businesses and charitable/educational organizations and serving in various capacities on local community boards and committees.

Phillip received a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley and a J.D. from Duke Law School.