Rob Townsend

Robert Townsend is the co-founder and Executive Chair of Vinovate Wine Services, an innovative wine services and wine production facility in Newberg, Oregon, dedicated to making the finest wines for its customers in a regenerative, innovative and collaborative setting.  Rob is the founder and CEO of Ambar Estates, an ultra-premium producer of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wines located in the storied Dundee Hills appellation in Oregon.  Rob is also pursuing a Winemaking Certificate from the University of California Davis.

In addition to his passion for the wine industry, Rob is an entrepreneur, investor, senior advisor, board member and corporate attorney.  Rob currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Upside Foods (the leading cellular meat company), and Common Sense Growth (an innovative impact investor).  Rob previously served as SVP, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for SoftBank and SoftBank Group International.  He also served on the board of SoftBank Group International and as a member of the investment committee for the SoftBank Latin America Fund.  Prior to joining SoftBank, Rob was a leading corporate and M&A attorney at Morrison Foerster for 35 years.  While at Morrison Foerster, Rob held numerous leadership positions including Chair of the firm’s 500 attorney Global Business Department, Chair of the Firm’s Global Corporate and M&A practice, Chair of the firm’s Compensation Committee and Managing Partner of the firm’s Tokyo office.  Rob was recently awarded Morrison Foerster’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni award.  Rob received a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School and a BS from University of California, Berkeley.

Rob is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys scuba diving, horseback riding, walking the vineyard and time with his family, in particular babysitting his grandchildren.