Hilton hires former top CIA and DoD lawyer as general counsel

Hilton has recruited Caroline Krass to become executive vice president and general counsel, effective March 17. She will report to the hotel company’s president and CEO, Christopher Nassetta.

Krass is joining Hilton having spent almost three decades in various US government roles over the course of her career. Most recently she has been general counsel of the US Department of Defense. According to her LinkedIn profile, between 2014 and 2017 she was general counsel for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 

Before her time with the CIA, her government work included positions as acting assistant attorney general and principal deputy assistant attorney with the US Department of Justice (DoJ), special counsel to the President for national security affairs and associate White House counsel, deputy legal adviser to the National Security Council, special assistant US Attorney in Washington, DC, and senior counsel with the DoJ’s office of legal counsel.

After leaving the CIA, Krass was a partner and chair of the national security practice group at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She then became senior vice president and general counsel for general insurance and deputy general counsel for American International Group.

Nassetta says in a statement: ‘Caroline has spent her career leading large global teams through complex legal matters in high-stakes, fast-paced environments in both the public and private sectors. As I’ve gotten to know her, I’ve quickly come to admire her thoughtfulness and deep desire to drive business impact. As we prepare to welcome Caroline in March, I am confident that her capacity to lead with speed, agility and discipline and offer the very best, most thoughtful legal counsel will only strengthen our ability to drive strong results for our stakeholders.’