Karen L. Hale

In her role as Chief Legal Officer of Novartis, Karen Hale leads a global legal and public affairs function that supports the company’s purpose of reimagining medicine while ensuring high standards of ethics and business conduct to reinforce trust with society.

Karen joined Novartis in May 2021, bringing more than 20 years of experience in resolving legal and compliance issues in the global pharmaceutical industry. She was previously at AbbVie, where she held a succession of senior roles including Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer. She originally joined Abbott, the company that spun-off AbbVie, in 1997 with responsibility for managing commercial litigation and providing counsel on corporate issues.

Prior to joining Abbott, Karen was an associate attorney with the law firm Sidley & Austin in Chicago, Illinois. She gained a bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University and a Juris Doctor degree from the College of William and Mary. In 2019, Karen was named by Black Enterprise magazine as one of 50 most powerful women in corporate America.