Kristin Campbell most recently served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief ESG Officer of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., a Fortune 500 company and leading global hospitality company with a vast portfolio of brands across the globe. With over 30 years of executive experience in the hospitality and retail sectors, Kristin has held C-suite and leadership roles within each, driving significant value for the organizations she has served.
She works closely with current and aspiring General Counsel, providing mentorship and guidance to help them excel within their roles and navigate challenging situations. Kristin also collaborates with public and private company boards, guiding them toward becoming more effective and high-performing while also providing crisis management assistance.
What motivated you to become a Strategic Advisor and Coach at BarkerGilmore?
BarkerGilmore’s great reputation, of course! During the process of thinking about retirement from a full-time GC position, it came to me that, of the many things I would miss about my role as a public company GC, at the top of the list was team building and coaching. I love helping people navigate their paths and watching them succeed. In the legal profession, I think the best executive coaches for lawyers are senior lawyers, especially General Counsel, who can understand the challenges of finding growth in a legal department. We’ve all been there. BG’s group of top-notch advisors was very attractive to me, and I am happy to be part of the crew.
Given your extensive experience in leadership roles, what advice would you give to aspiring General Counsel who are looking to excel in their careers?
My counsel to aspiring General Counsel is plentiful! And, very simplistically, tracks along the following lines:
- Learn. And then strive to see the big picture. World-class General Counsel work hard to educate themselves about the details of the company’s business, as well as what is going on in the world. The elevating next step is to understand the company’s goals and strategy in the context of what is happening in the macro environment. An organization can have the most modern, tech-forward buggy whips, but if that is not where the world is going, the company will fail. A great GC can guide the company’s strategy in this way, and then synthesize legal issues and requirements based upon what is happening in the broader environment.
- Be patient and flexible. This is often the most difficult piece of advice for aspiring lawyers to internalize. Think of this as an exercise in multi-tasking. For example, while waiting to board a plane for a business trip, you are most certainly doing something else, such as drafting a document, reading an email or a good book, or grabbing a stuffed animal for your daughter at the gift shop. The same goes for your career; while you are waiting for a promotion or a path, do something else productive: learn more, network, and be flexible. Sometimes the greatest opportunity comes along when you are open to doing something new or different.
- Advocate for yourself. To be clear, this is not necessarily about pushing for your next promotion. For sure, aspiring General Counsel should make long-term career goals clear, but do not let that be your constant drumbeat. Rather, legal professionals should be expressing, appropriately and in the right situations, their value. Take credit for what you and your team do and find ways to talk up your specific talents. This is an art, and one which good coaching can help develop.
As the visionary behind BarkerGilmore’s new board advisory practice, what can a board expect from working with an advisory firm?
Expectations of, and pressure on, public company boards have never been more pronounced, and consequently, boards need to assess themselves against ever higher standards in a very transparent way. Even for boards that function well, situations often arise where an independent third party is best suited to guide the board to the best outcome. Examples include working with boards on meaningful self-evaluation, board succession planning, board/management relations, governance-related crisis management, and onboarding for new directors.
What the board can expect is comprehensive, candid, actionable advice. Through partnering with a specialized advisor in the field of board advisory work, a board can expect to improve its own performance, and thus enhance its value to shareholders.
What are you passionate about?
So many things! But in this context, it’s simple: I love making a difference in outcomes, adding value to organizations, and helping people find what makes them tick and then succeed as a result. I have been very fortunate to have had many opportunities to grow and so many mentors and friends along the way who have contributed to my success. Now, I would like to give back.
What are the best “words to live by” that you want to share with other General Counsel?
It is a commonly accepted view among General Counsel that being a GC is the loneliest job in the world. And I found during the first several years of my GC gigs that I was constantly worried. So many potential things could go wrong, and I was ultimately 100% accountable. So, I turned to Mark Twain, who said something like, “I’ve spent most of my life worrying about things that never happened.” For sure, in the GC seat, one is never cavalier or complacent. But understand that whatever comes your way, you can handle it. You’ve got this. That is my GC mantra.
As a BarkerGilmore Strategic Advisor and Coach, where do you see yourself adding the biggest value to General Counsel and/or their legal departments?
I am known for saying that I love anything from a hot-mess to a not-mess. In this way, I work with organizations and teams on everything from a comprehensive review to assess whether a legal team is value-optimized, to problem-solving during a one-off event or crisis, and everything in between. This includes counseling on organizational structure, team building, individual growth plans, business partnering and impact, and much more. I’m looking forward to leaning in to help legal teams develop and succeed.
Coaching and Advising from Kristin Campbell
If you’re looking for a strategic advisor with extensive experience as a General Counsel, contact Kristin Campbell today.
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