As Women’s History Month Kicks Off, Aderant Makes History, Of A Sort, Naming Its First Female CRO

March is Women’s History Month and, as it kicks off, the legal business software company Aderant is announcing an executive appointment that is historic, at least within the context of this nearly 50-year-old company — its first female chief revenue officer.

Aderant today said it has named Aisling Fenelon to that position. A veteran of more than 25 years in the legal technology industry, Fenelon was formerly Aderant’s vice president of sales for North America. She has been with Aderant for nearly 11 years.

As CRO, Fenelon is responsible for Aderant’s global revenue organization. She will focus, the company says, on aligning Aderant’s product portfolio with clients’ critical business challenges, helping firms operate more effectively while supporting both the practice and the business of law.

In a statement provided by the company, President and CEO Chris Cartrett said that Fenelon’s career has been defined by her ability to combine deep industry knowledge with a relentless focus on client value.

“She understands the realities law firms face today and how technology must perform to meet those demands,” Cartrett said. “Her leadership, credibility and institutional knowledge make her uniquely qualified to lead our revenue organization and strengthen the value we deliver to clients around the world.”

Fenelon joined Aderant in 2015 as a business development executive. She later ran business development before being appointed vice president of sales for North America in 2022. In that role, she was responsible for regional sales strategy and execution across Aderant’s products.

The Nashville native previously held customer service roles at Cicayda, where she was senior vice president of client solutions, and LexisNexis, where she worked for nearly 14 years as a client manager.

She is a graduate of Pepperdine University School of Law and received her bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

As the first woman to serve as Aderant’s CRO, Fenelon said that representation is important.

“Promoting leaders from within sends a powerful message,” she said. “Diverse leadership teams foster stronger dialogue and better decision-making, and representation at the top shows our people that there is a clear path to grow and lead here.

“That’s good for our culture, our clients, and the long-term health of the business.”