RAFTERMARSH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Advisor to Ardian
- Principal, RafterMarsh US
Heather Dembert Rafter has been providing legal and business development services to the audio, music technology, and digital media industries for over twenty-five years. As principal counsel at RafterMarsh US, she leads the RM team in providing sophisticated corporate and IP advice (US practice) and entertainment law services (UK) to content creators, hardware and software developers, and event producers, among others.
Heather served as Director of Legal Affairs and later General Counsel for Digidesign, the audio division of Avid Technology and the creator of the award-winning Pro Tools software. Heather was instrumental in the company's acquisition of M-Audio and Sibelius Software and represented audio console leader Euphonix in its acquisition by Avid, as well as counsel for Imagine Research in its acquisition by iZotope, another audio industry flagship company.
Heather currently serves as an Advisor to Ardian, a French-based private equity firm, on the Board of Advisors of the Bob Moog Foundation and as a Senior Advisor for MediaBridge Capital, a leading investment banking and strategic advisory firm serving the media technology industry. Heather, an advocate for gender parity in the legal and music industry, also serves on the Boards of SoundGirls.org, and WiMN, the Women's International Music Network. A proud alumna, Heather serves on the advisory council for the Department of Music at Princeton University.
Heather is a graduate of Princeton University (A.B., Woodrow School of Public & International Affairs, magna cum laude) and Columbia University School of Law (J.D., Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar).
Heather's sons both work in high tech, and her daughter is finishing her senior year at Princeton University. Heather is an avid yogi and fan of live music.
Jessica is an Assistant Clinical Professor and Supervising Attorney at the University of San Francisco School of Law where she supervises the USPTO Trademark Program, the Entrepreneurial Ventures Legal Services Program (EVLS) and the Employment Law Clinic. She trains students on trademark prosecution matters as well as in other intellectual property areas including copyrights and IP protection for startups.
Nikki Markman is a human resource and administrative professional. Her background is in higher education with a focus on international education and cultural exchange. She has a Masters of Arts in Organizational Management and a B.A. in Anthropology. When she's not gallivanting all over the globe, Nikki enjoys dancing, exploring the culinary arts, supporting local musicians and delving more into conscious communication.
Job Titles:
- Principal, RafterMarsh UK / London, U.K.