Karen G. Narwold is an accomplished C-level executive and Board member who brings a wide breadth of expertise spanning global business strategy, risk management, ESG, corporate transactions, compliance, and ethical leadership to steer companies for continued growth in a changing world. With more than thirty years of experience leading legal, compliance, external affairs, governance, human resources, and corporate development functions at global Fortune 500 companies, Karen understands how to help business leaders deliver long-term value aligned with high-level corporate goals. A subject matter expert in sustainable manufacturing, clean energy, and workplace safety, she brings people and processes together to improve corporate citizenship. Karen has achieved NACD Directorship Certification.
Karen currently sits on the Board of Directors for Ingevity Corporation, Standard Lithium Ltd., and Calumet, Inc. At Ingevity, she serves as Chair of the Sustainability and Safety Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee, collaborating with Board members and C-suite leaders to influence global policies related to sustainable manufacturing, ethical business practices, and workplace safety. At Standard Lithium, she serves on the Health, Safety, Social and Environment Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee, helping accelerate the development of large-scale lithium projects in North America with a focus on responsible production and community partnership. At Calumet, she chairs the Nominating and Governance Committee and serves on the Compensation Committee.
Karen previously served as Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel at Albemarle Corporation and at Symmetry Holdings (previously Barzel Industries). In these roles, she instilled an enterprise-wide commitment to ethical decision-making, governance, and risk management, stood up critical new teams and functions, shepherded businesses through periods of immense change, and cultivated a values-based culture enabling long-term success and positive corporate citizenship.
Karen earned her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law and her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Connecticut.