Linkedin-in
DONATE

Linda L. Addison

Linda L. Addison

Linda Addison is an experienced independent director and chief executive. She is Lead Independent Director of Globe Life Inc. (NYSE: GL), an S&P 500 company. She is also an independent board member of KPMG LLP, the Big 4 US audit, tax and advisory firm, a privately-owned partnership with annual revenues that would rank within the Fortune 250 if publicly listed. Linda previously served as an independent director of a NASDAQ-listed SPAC and on the Advisory Board of Northern Trust Bank. She has chaired public board compensation committees and special committees, has served on audit, nominating/governance, risk and human capital committees, and has overseen technology and ESG committees.

Linda continues to consider additional boards where her experience as an independent director and leader of a complex global business positions her to add value in a wide range of strategic and commercial areas, both as a board member and as a chair or strong contributor to board committees.

Until 2017, Linda served as US Managing Partner (CEO equivalent), Chair of the US Management Committee, and global board member of Norton Rose Fulbright, one of the world’s largest law firms, with 4,000 lawyers in 55 offices on six continents. She had P/L responsibility for the US region and was responsible for US strategy, growth and operations. She was one of five regional chief executives formulating global strategy and running the global business.

For more than three decades, Linda led engagements with CEOs, corporate boards, and C-Suite executives across multiple industry sectors, both regulated and unregulated, including:

  • Financial services/Fintech
  • Energy
  • Healthcare
  • Life sciences/pharma
  • Technology
  • Medical devices
  • Mining
  • Transportation
  • Telecommunications
  • Real estate
  • Retail
  • Consumer products
  • Food & Beverage
  • Manufacturing/Industrial
  • Professional services

Linda’s client portfolio focused on leading global companies such as General Electric Company, GE Capital, GE Healthcare, GE Power, GE Energy, GE Transportation, Northern Trust Company, Mars Incorporated, and Schlumberger.

Linda’s reporting lines included accounting/finance, risk management, regulatory/compliance, technology (including digital transformation, cybersecurity, and data analytics), compensation, marketing/communications, HR/human capital management, governance, crisis management, as well as leading M&A and related post-merger integrations across six regions (North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa and the Middle East).

Agenda, a Financial Times publication for board members, named Linda one of the Compensation 100: Top Board Candidates With Pay-Setting Skills, based on her extensive experience in compensation strategy and related talent management, acquisition, deployment, and retention.

Named to:

  • “50 Most Powerful Women in New York” by Crain’s New York Business
  • “Compensation 100: Top Board Candidates With Pay-Setting Skills” by Agenda, a Financial Times publication for board members
  • “50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal
  • “100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal
  • “Most Influential Corporate Directors” by Women, Inc. Magazine
  • “Directors to Watch” by Directors & Boards Magazine

Memberships include:

  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • National Association of Corporate Directors (“NACD”)
  • Women Corporate Directors (“WCD”)
  • Extraordinary Women on Boards (“EWOB”)
  • Founding President, Center for Women in Law (America’s premier educational institution devoted to advancing women in the legal profession)
  • C200 (global invitation-only membership organization of leading women corporate executives and entrepreneurs, devoted to advancing women in business leadership)

Non-Profit Boards include:

  • Catalyst
  • MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors
  • McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin, Dean’s Advisory Counsel
  • University of Texas Law School Foundation

Certification and Education:

Linda earned the Climate Leadership Certification from Diligent, the CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from Carnegie Mellon University‘s Software Engineering Institute, and is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow. She earned a J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law, where she was Managing Editor of the Texas Law Review, and a B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin (Plan II Honors Program). Linda was named a Distinguished Alumna of the University of Texas at Austin.

Personal:

Linda was born in America to parents who immigrated here, and her first language was Polish. A first-generation American, she connects easily with people from different backgrounds, cultures and countries. Linda is an avid reader who likes to travel and is interested in health and fitness. She has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.