Ms. Hinojosa-Smith joined Yum! Brands in August of 2020 and currently serves as their Chief Legal Officer, Digital & Technology. In her role at Yum!, Brianna oversees a broad range of commercial and technology-related legal matters, including commercial contracts and licenses, data rights and intellectual property protection, as well as funding strategies to commercialize data and technology. Additionally, Brianna manages Yum!’s global patent portfolio, including coordinating the evaluation and filing of patents across the four brands (Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, Habit Burger Grill) and Yum!.
Prior to joining Yum!, Brianna was a Senior Patent Attorney at Microsoft where she supported the Devices business’ (including Xbox / Gaming and Surface) in the areas of patent prosecution, conflict matters and licensing, as well as general legal support for the Devices client.
In her 20+ years as a patent attorney, Brianna’s experience includes patent prosecution, acquisition due diligence, patent licensing and litigation, patent monetization, validity and infringement analysis, and trademark and copyright protection. Prior to joining Yum!, Brianna worked in both the private and public sector including Gardere & Wynne, BlackBerry, Nortel and Uniden.
Brianna earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Trinity University in San Antonio, a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington. When Brianna is not working, she enjoys serving her community as an elected official, spending time with her family, running and writing.