A foreword from our CEO, Kate O’Loughlin | “International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate progress, and to recognise the work still ahead. At SuperAwesome, I’m continually inspired by the women who are redefining what leadership in tech looks like, and I’m happy to introduce just a few of them over the coming weeks in a series of blog posts for IWD. By sharing their stories, we want to encourage young women considering careers in technology to know this: your perspective matters, your voice belongs here, and your leadership is needed. The next generation of innovators is watching. Let’s show them what’s possible.“
To kick off our International Women’s Day blog series, we are featuring our Chief Privacy Officer and Head of Legal, Amy Lawrence. Since joining SuperAwesome in 2024, Amy has led our legal team, navigating the complexities of children’s privacy regulation; presented at industry events, including the California Lawyers Association Annual Privacy Summit and the Games Industry Law Summit; and authored widely read commentary for Bloomberg and the Cybersecurity Law Report on kids’ privacy legislation. Amy was honoured as a Privacy Powerhouse in the 2025 Women in Media & Ad Tech Awards – a true testament to her dedication to youth privacy.
Can you describe your role at SuperAwesome?
I lead the legal team here at SuperAwesome. Like most legal departments, we handle contracts, counselling, and dispute resolution. But unlike other companies, SuperAwesome’s mission to power a better internet for the next generation means that we are also extremely focused on privacy, data protection, and digital wellbeing of minors. Much of what I do is translating rapidly evolving legal requirements in our advertising ecosystem into actionable advice for our product teams and relationship terms with partners.
The 2026 theme highlights that when women thrive, everyone rises. How do you use collaboration to work through problems that might otherwise seem impossible to tackle alone?
I see collaboration not just as a value, but as a primary function of the legal team. We sit at a critical intersection of the business – acting as the bridge between the engineers and product teams building our tools, and the sales and marketing teams who are on the front lines with our customers and partners.
When we face a complex challenge, the ‘impossible’ is sometimes because we can’t see every angle of the puzzle at once. I work to create a feedback loop where we gather information from all different corners of the company. We need the technical constraints from engineering just as much as we need the market realities from sales. By providing space where multiple voices can be heard, we can brainstorm solutions that solve our clients’ problems without compromising our core mission.
Have there been people who advocated for or sponsored you in your career? How did they impact your journey?
Absolutely. And subtly! Comments and actions that seem like small nudges in real time can have a huge impact. Introductions turned into contacts that turned into jobs and career pivots. Your career is a very long journey and it does not have to be a straight line. Trusting mentors who know me and my strengths (and can maybe see my weaknesses more clearly) has been so helpful at keeping me on a path that is challenging and fulfilling.
What are some challenges you have faced as a female leader, and how do you overcome them?
One of the most persistent challenges in a legal leadership role is overcoming the ‘Department of No’ stereotype. Often, legal is seen as a final hurdle rather than a starting partner. I’m constantly working to shift that perception – moving from being a gatekeeper to being the connective tissue of the organisation.
The challenge is often staying visible and integrated enough that teams want to bring us in early, without having to be the loudest voice in the room. And the challenge is ongoing, reemerging when there are changes in team priorities or employee turnover. What I think works best is proving that Legal understands the ‘why’ behind a team or company goal; then we can provide solutions that aren’t just compliant, but commercially savvy. I want SuperAwesome’s legal team to be a strategic advantage that helps the company move faster, not slower.
What’s one work goal of yours for 2026? How do you plan to achieve it?
My main goal for our team is to really embed our cross-functional feedback loop into existing workflows. I want legal guidance and checkpoints to be integrated directly into the processes teams already use. To achieve this, I’m listening to stakeholders about their pain points and refining our approach in real time.
If you could give one bit of advice to the next generation of female leaders, what would it be?
I often say this to myself as well – don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. You don’t have to check every box in a job description to be qualified for it; you don’t have to have first-hand experience to have an educated perspective that is valuable to those around you. The world moves too fast for perfection.
