Rick Runkel

General Counsel

Rick Runkel

Rick joined Synopsys as General Counsel in May 2014. In this role, he manages and oversees all legal matters and corporate affairs for Synopsys and serves as Corporate Secretary.

From October 2008 to March 2013, Rick served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Affymetrix, a leading developer of genomic analysis tools. He served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Intuitive Surgical, Inc., a provider of minimally invasive robotic surgery technology, from 2006 to 2007. From 2004 to 2005, Rick served as Senior Vice President of Business Development and General Counsel of VISX Incorporated, a provider of laser vision correction technology, and as Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary from 2001 to 2004. Prior to that, he was a partner at the law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP for 11 years, where he specialized in complex commercial litigation and served as managing partner of the firm's San Francisco office.

Rick holds a bachelor of arts in Political Science and a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles.