S9E14 | From basic to best in class: Evolving Hexcel’s compliance program

Principled

How do you move your ethics and compliance program along the journey from basic to best in class? How do you keep momentum amid a major business disruption and downturn? And how do you make progress on the holy grail of compliance objectives—a speak-up culture? In this episode of LRN’s Principled Podcast, host Emily Miner is joined by Gail Lehman, the EVP, general counsel, and secretary at Hexcel Corporation. Listen in as Gail shares how this high-tech materials manufacturing company has evolved its compliance program over the past five years and what that’s meant for the company’s culture.

For a transcription of this podcast, please visit the episode page at LRN.com.

Guest: Gail Lehman

Gail Lehman is the executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Hexcel Corporation, having joined Hexcel in January of 2017. Hexcel is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. Gail oversees the legal and trade compliance functions for this NYSE public company, a leading global producer of advanced composites for commercial aerospace, space and defense, and various industrial markets. She is also the leader of Hexcel’s Sustainability program at a corporate level. Gail serves as a trusted strategic advisor to the board, chief executive officer, and business teams. Upon joining the company, Gail restructured the legal and trade functions to align with Hexcel’s business teams and operational objectives. She re-engineered the Code of Business Conduct program, redrafting the code and rolling out specially tailored “speak up” ethics training and messaging across all global locations. She collaborates with other senior leaders and teams to drive Hexcel’s sustainability efforts and major growth, strategic and commercial activities, including mergers and acquisitions, cyber incident readiness, and contracting with the company’s critical customers and suppliers.

Prior to joining Hexcel, Gail served as chief administrative officer, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Noranda Aluminum Holding Corporation. Prior to Noranda, Gail was vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at both Hawker Beechcraft Corporation and Covalence Specialty Materials Corporation. Earlier she rose through the ranks of the law department at Honeywell International. She began her career at the law firm of Lowenstein, Sandler in Roseland, NJ after serving a federal judicial clerkship in the District Court in New Jersey.

Gail has a degree in psychology from Rutgers College, a graduate degree in educational psychology from Rutgers Graduate School of Education, and a law degree with high honors from Rutgers University School of Law. She has served on several non-profit boards, including currently for the Women’s Business Development Council in Stamford, Connecticut.

Host: Emily Miner

Emily Miner is a vice president in LRN’s ethics and compliance Advisory practice. She counsels executive leadership teams on how to actively shape and manage their ethical culture through deep quantitative and qualitative understanding and engagement. A skilled facilitator, Emily emphasizes co-creative, bottom-up, and data-driven approaches to foster ethical behavior and inform program strategy. Emily has led engagements with organizations in the healthcare, technology, manufacturing, energy, professional services, and education industries. Emily co-leads LRN’s ongoing flagship research on E&C program effectiveness and is a thought leader in the areas of organizational culture, leadership, and E&C program impact.

Prior to joining LRN, Emily applied her behavioral science expertise in the environmental sustainability sector, working with non-profits and several New England municipalities; facilitated earth science research in academia; and contributed to drafting and advancing international climate policy goals. Emily has a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida with a degree in Anthropology.