User account menu Search Menu Executive Committee Karen L. Hale Chief Legal Officer of Novartis since May 15, 2021 Biography Summary 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. I am excited to join Novartis, a company dedicated to addressing some of society’s most challenging healthcare conditions using innovative science and technology. As a member of the Executive Committee of Novartis, I look forward to contributing to the company’s continued success. 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. Information is accurate as of May 15, 2021 Novartis Navigate Topics Explore Companies Footer Bottom © 2021 Novartis AG Terms of Use Privacy Contacts Cookie Settings Site Map Novartis Site Directory This site is intended for a global audience Your privacy is important for us. We use cookies to enhance your experience when visiting our websites: performance cookies show us how you use this website, functional cookies remember your preferences and targeting cookies help us to share content relevant to you. Select “Accept all” for giving your consent to all cookies, select “Cookie settings” for managing the different cookies or select “Reject all” for using only strictly necessary cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any point of time by pressing the cookie settings link on the website. Cookie Settings Reject all Accept all