Cummins Inc. announced Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale is succeeding Sharon Barner as Vice President and General Counsel, effective in May.
“Nicole is a dynamic, strategic and effective leader with global experience and a remarkable legal understanding that will equip her to continue to lead, shape and build the Cummins legal function into a preeminent organization,” said Barner. “She has a deep understanding of corporate law, regulatory and compliance issues, and international law and trade policy, all of which are important as Cummins continues to grow globally and as new technologies are developed. In addition to her legal expertise, she is also a great fit with Cummins because of her collaborative leadership style and her emphasis on developing strong teams and working to make those around her better. I am thrilled to welcome Nicole to the Cummins team.”
Lamb-Hale is currently a managing director at Kroll, a global governance, risk and transparency consultancy, and the head of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. She has 30 years of executive-level experience and a unique viewpoint on global commercial and compliance matters from her extensive service in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Kroll, Lamb-Hale was Senior Vice President at Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy consultancy, where she provided strategic advice to companies in the development and implementation of their global business objectives, including the expansion of their exports to, and presence in, international markets.
Nicole was nominated by the President and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2010 to serve as Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA). In this role, she was the Chief Executive Officer of the industry-facing unit of ITA, serving as the liaison between U.S. industry and the federal government with respect to access to international markets and U.S. policies impacting the competitiveness of U.S. exports. In addition, she regularly led business delegations on international trade and trade policy missions during which she negotiated with senior foreign government officials on the elimination of regulatory and legal impediments to trade to create policy environments conducive to free trade and to mitigate market access barriers to U.S. exports.
Prior to serving as Assistant Secretary, Lamb-Hale served by presidential appointment as the Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role, she was the Chief Operating Officer of the Office of General Counsel, where, among other duties, she assisted the General Counsel as the legal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce.
Lamb-Hale practiced law as an equity partner in two international law firms where she specialized in business restructuring and public finance. After practicing with Dykema Gossett PLLC, where she served as the chair of the bankruptcy practice and as hiring partner, Ms. Lamb-Hale joined the law firm of Foley & Lardner LLP where, in addition to serving her clients, she served as the managing partner of the firm’s Detroit office and was responsible for managing operations, new business development and the implementation of the firm’s business strategies and objectives in the Michigan market.
Lamb-Hale serves as an independent director on the board of Federal Realty Investment Trust, a S&P 500 index member (NYSE: FRT) and on the corporate advisory board of Coaster Pedicab, Inc. Lamb-Hale is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the board of trustees of the Center for International Private Enterprise, a U.S. Chamber of Commerce affiliate, and on the advisory board of the American Leadership Initiative. Lamb-Hale is also a past holder of the Gwendolyn and Colby King Endowed Chair for Public Policy at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Lamb-Hale is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Harvard Law School.
