FORTUNE FORTUNE 501-1000 COMPANIES LIST OF WOMEN’S GENERAL COUNSEL COMPANY
Men's Warehouse MF Global Holdings Moog
National Fuel Gas
New Jersey Resources Paychex Pentair
Polaris Industries PolyOne
Protective Life Quanta Services RDA Holding Realogy
Ryerson Holding Sonoco Products ¹New to list
GENERAL COUNSEL Caroline Souvenir Laurie R. Ferber¹
Debra Norman-Lane Paula Ciprich
Mariellen Dugan
Stephanie Schaeffer Angela Lageson Stacy Bogert Lisa Kunkle
Deborah Long Tana Pool
Andrea Newborn Marilyn Wasser Barbara Rohde¹ Stacy L. Fox
2011 RANK
843 831 840 951 722 874 664 880 726 650 542 969 526 549 519
2010 RANK INDUSTRY
861
General Merchandisers Commodities Broker
880 Miscellaneous 812 713 803
Utilities: Gas and Electric Energy
Payroll Servies
693 Miscellaneous: Pool Filters 991 811 631 587 738 519
Transportation Equipment Chemicals
Publishing, Printing 554 Mail, Packaging, Freight
GROUPED BY INDUSTRY
E F Z C C F Z
G O Q
Electric Power, Natural Gas contracting service C Publishing, Printing Real Estate Metals
Q N Z T
28
PROF IL E SHEI L A C. CHESTON ¹New to list
NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION
CORPORATE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL
appointed general counsel of a major publicly traded defense company. Less than two weeks later, Lockheed Martin announced a new GC who was also a woman. “In very short order,” says Cheston, “we went from zero to two, changing the environment in a male-dominated industry. “In addition to counseling and leading the function, a signifi cant
D
part of what I do entails being a voice for the company in the external community,” continues Cheston, who is based in Northrop Grumman’s Northern Virginia headquarters. “The defense industry is highly regulated and has one principal customer, so building rela- tionships with the Department of Justice, Pentagon, the intelligence community, and Capitol Hill is essential to our success.” A general counsel must fi t with a corporation in terms of ethics,
integrity, and how he or she and the law department can contribute to the enterprise, she adds. “I was aware of Northrop Grumman’s reputation for integrity and commitment to diversity after spending years in the industry. The interview process confi rmed my views.”
espite a seemingly low-key demeanor, Sheila Cheston is indeed a trailblazer. In fact, when she joined defense giant Northrop Grumman last year, she was the fi rst woman
Before Northrop Grumman, Cheston was at BAE Systems, Inc.,
where she was executive vice president. Her broad portfolio included strategy and planning, fi nance, mergers and acquisitions, legal matters, and she also served as a member of the company’s board of directors. Prior to that, Cheston was a partner at the law fi rm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, where she was chair of the fi rm’s International Aviation, Defense and Aerospace Group. She also held various positions in the Clinton administration includ-
ing special associate counsel to the President of the United States and general counsel of the United States Air Force where she oversaw approximately 1,500 lawyers stationed worldwide. “Going in I wasn’t sure about the Air Force, but it turned out to be
a great fi t. When speaking to younger attorneys in search of varied careers, I tell them that they must be willing to take chances. Not only must they work hard to create opportunities, they must have the confi dence to follow through.” Early on, Cheston received good training in how to succeed in a
mostly male setting. When she attended Dartmouth College the school had only recently opened its doors to women, and men comprised 85 percent of the student body. “Fortunately,” she says, “I was blessed with exceptional parents.” Her parents stressed confi dence, hard work, honesty, service to others, and a willingness to try new things. As a woman succeeding in the defense industry, Cheston feels
strongly about helping younger women. “Long ago, a senior-level woman told me ‘you can either pull up the ladder behind you or reach down and give others a hand up.’ It may sound a little trite, but it’s a wonderful way of describing the choice. I feel strongly it’s my obligation to leave the ladder down and extend a hand.”
DIVERSITY & THE BAR® SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011
MCCA.COM
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