Suzanne S. Taylor is a Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., a $4.1B global manufacturer of materials handling equipment. She is an accomplished C-suite executive who serves as a trusted advisor to both the Board of Directors and senior management of the Company. She provides expert leadership across a broad range of business matters including corporate governance and compliance, global M&A, executive compensation, risk management, finance matters, environmental, social and governance (ESG), cybersecurity and government lobbying and regulatory affairs. Suzy balances her piercing intellect and ability to get to the heart of a problem with empathy and a balanced approach when discussing even the most sensitive issues.

Suzy has been an executive at Hyster-Yale for over 16 years. In 2012, she co-led the team that guided the Company through its transformation to an independent public company. She was responsible for the communications with the Independent Directors Committee that reviewed the transformation, preparation of the SEC filing documents and new financing arrangements and were executed in relation to the transformation. She has overseen the Company’s acquisition of several global companies which expanded Hyster-Yale’s product offerings and production capabilities. In relation to those acquisitions, she oversaw the due diligence, negotiation of the acquisition documents and integration into the Company’s compliance regimes. She is appreciated for her ability to provide refined legal advice that focusses on the operational consequences of the issues at hand. Suzy provides Hyster-Yale’s Board of Directors with guidance regarding emerging issues impacting the Company such as tariffs, geopolitical risks impacting production and suppliers, ESG matters and cyber vulnerabilities.

Suzy participates in all meetings of the Board of Directors and all Committee meetings. She is a principal legal advisor to the Nominating and Governance Committee, Compensation and Human Capital Committee and Audit Review Committee. She has led the Nominating and Governance Committee through the development and maturity of its oversight of ESG matters, the Compensation and Human Capital Committee through the development and maturity of its oversight of human capital matters and the Audit Review Committee through the development and maturity of its oversight of cybersecurity matters. She has assisted with the vetting and appointment of several new directors and is responsible for the subsequent onboarding of those directors.

In addition to her leadership of the legal department, Suzy leads the global compensation and benefits department. She advises the Company’s management and Compensation Committee on compensation matters, including nation-centric compensation and incentive programs. She is also the Chair of the Company’s Retirement Investment Committee.

Suzy has served on the Board of Directors of Balyo, SA, a French public company that is an emerging automation company, from 2017 to 2020. Hyster-Yale was a minority owner of Balyo and a major customer, Suzy was required to navigate the conflicts of interest associated with her representation of Hyster-Yale and the fiduciary obligations as a director of Balyo.

She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Laurel School, a preschool through 12 girls school.  She was the Chair of the Governance Committee from 2020 to 2023. She currently serves as the Chair of the Audit Committee where she oversees the refinement of its risk management program. She is also a member of the Executive Committee which assists the school with its most impactful issues.