Deere & Company, also known as John Deere, has hired Kellye Walker as senior vice president, chief legal officer (CLO) and head of worldwide public affairs, effective April 29.
Walker will succeed Mary Jones, who has announced her intention to retire later this year, as the company’s general counsel. She will be responsible for the company’s global law and patent departments and will oversee its public affairs and environmental, health and safety functions. According to her LinkedIn profile, Jones has been with Deere & Company for almost 27 years and in her current position since January 2013.
Walker will join Deere & Company from Eastman Chemical Company, where she has spent more than four years as executive vice president and CLO. In that role she has been responsible for Eastman’s legal organization, including oversight of corporate governance, compliance, intellectual property, litigation, government affairs, product stewardship and regulatory affairs, global business conduct and the company’s global health, safety and environment organizations.
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She was previously executive vice president and CLO for engineering and defense technology provider Huntington Ingalls Industries. According to her LinkedIn profile, before that she was senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at American Water, senior vice president and general counsel for Diageo North America and senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Walker is a member of the boards of T Rowe Price Funds and Lincoln Electric Holdings.
John May, chairman and CEO of Deere & Company, says in a statement: ‘Over the course of her career, Kellye has compiled an impressive record of experience and achievement. Her exceptional strategic leadership and problem-solving skills, along with her proven ability to deliver results in a rapidly changing environment, will be of real benefit to our company as we continue to deliver groundbreaking products, services and outcomes for our [agriculture], construction and forestry customers around the world.’
Ben Maiden
Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...
