About

‘Kristin Campbell, executive vice president and general counsel for Hilton Worldwide, is one of the most innovative general counsels in the country. She joined Hilton in 2011 and is responsible for leading the global legal, compliance and government relations functions of one of the largest hospitality companies in the world, with nearly 5,000 properties in 103 countries and territories. In 2013, she and her legal department capably handled one of Hilton’s greatest challenges to date: Hilton Worldwide’s IPO. This year, she is managing an even more complex process: the spin-off of Hilton’s real estate and timeshare businesses into separate public companies. Campbell has played a key role in other transformative deals, including the sale of a 25% interest in Hilton to HNA Group for $6.5bn, a complex transaction involving multiple parties. What’s equally impressive is Campbell’s track record as a corporate leader. Her legal team has been recognised in the industry press [and] the company was recognised by Diversity Inc. in 2016 as one of the top 13 companies for employee resource groups, and also was named to the Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Index Fund, taking its place among the highest-rated companies in the world in advancing women. Campbell is personally committed to diversity. 43% of the 58 attorneys on the team – and 70% of the overall legal department staff – are women. In 2013, under Campbell’s guidance, the department undertook an outside counsel convergence programme known as the Global Counsel Initiative, in which a request for proposal process was used to reduce a group of more than 350 outside providers to 37. The department has also undergone a reorganisation under Campbell’s tenure. Now, half of the department is aligned with enterprise functions such as corporate, tax, compliance, litigation, intellectual property, labour and employment; while the other half focuses on targeted transactional areas that relate directly to marketing, branding, developing and operating hotels. The structure is overlaid with a geographic framework that divides the world into two large regions outside of the Americas: Europe, the Middle East and Africa are served by a primary office in England, while Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand concerns are mainly served by an office in Singapore. Campbell is also the executive sponsor of Hilton’s women’s team member resource group, ensuring that leadership and professional development programmes are available to female employees across the enterprise. She launched an international rotation programme for the department, permitting three high-potential employees to do yearlong rotations in other locations around the world. She also offers full support for the pro bono initiatives her employees feel passionate about. In addition, Campbell is on the board of Office Depot, as well as the board of Vital Voices, a non-profit that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, women’s political participation and human rights’.