BarkerGilmore, a leading in-house legal and compliance executive search, coaching, and advisory firm, announces that Laura J. Schumacher will serve as a Strategic Advisor and Coach, providing guidance and professional development to General Counsel and other executives and bringing her extensive expertise and accomplishments in the healthcare industry to the firm’s Healthcare & Life Sciences practice.
Laura brings over 18 years of C-Suite experience, having served as an executive leader and General Counsel at two Fortune 100 Companies. She most recently served as the Vice Chairman of External Affairs and Chief Legal Officer of AbbVie, from its creation in 2013 until her retirement in March 2023, where she guided a staff of more than 700 to fulfill AbbVie’s purpose-driven mission to drive continuous innovation, improve health outcomes and enhance people’s lives. She built and directed numerous high-impact functions, including Legal and Compliance, Business Development, Government Affairs, Health Economics Outcomes Research (HEOR), Brand & Communications, and Corporate Responsibility.
Laura also served as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Abbott Laboratories for many years, where she led a global Legal and Compliance organization of approximately 500 employees covering multiple operating business units, including pharmaceuticals (proprietary and established), diagnostics, devices, and nutritional products.
Additionally, Laura currently serves as a Director at General Dynamics, where she is the Chair of the Compensation Committee and Lead Director, and at CrowdStrike, where she is a member of the Nomination and Governance Committee. In addition, she has board experience from several prominent non-profit organizations, including Ronald McDonald House Charities and the AbbVie Foundation.
Laura’s dedication to diversity and inclusion has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including the American Bar Association’s prestigious Margaret Brent Award in 2022 for positively impacting diversity in the legal profession.
Laura received her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and her B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Founded in 2006, BarkerGilmore is a boutique executive search, coaching, and advisory firm dedicated to building high-performing and diverse legal and compliance teams that drive business success.
Our distinguished team of professionals, including renowned General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officers, alongside expert executive search consultants, sets us apart. The combined national reach, established industry relationships, and proven CustomFitSM assessment process ensure we excel in executing the most demanding and high-profile searches. Our team’s broad industry experience empowers us to assist clients in recruiting and developing top-tier talent effectively.
We measure our success by our high client satisfaction rates, exceptional search completion rates, strong diversity track record, and impressive stick rates.
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