Key points:
- American Airlines appoints Latham & Watkins partner Tony Richmond as chief legal officer.
- Honeywell GC Anne Madden steps down to lead corporate restructuring; Su Ping Lu promoted.
- Thermo Fisher names Tom Shropshire, ex-Diageo GC, to lead legal function globally.
Tony Richmond to Lead Legal at American Airlines
American Airlines has appointed Anthony “Tony” Richmond as chief legal officer and executive vice president of corporate affairs, effective May 5. A longtime partner at Latham & Watkins LLP, Richmond has advised the airline for more than 15 years and will now report directly to CEO Robert Isom.
Richmond succeeds Priya R. Aiyar, who departed in February to become chief legal officer at Warner Bros. Discovery. In his new role, Richmond will oversee American’s legal affairs, including corporate governance, securities, labor relations, litigation, environmental law, compliance, and intellectual property.
Isom called Richmond’s transition a natural step given his extensive knowledge of the airline’s legal landscape and strategic goals. Richmond’s nearly three-decade tenure at Latham included senior roles such as chair of the firm’s audit and strategic initiatives committees, and co-chair of its retail and consumer products industry group. He earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.
Read more on Richmond’s appointment.
Honeywell GC Anne Madden Shifts to Lead Breakup Strategy
Honeywell International announced that Anne Madden will step down from her post as general counsel to serve as senior vice president of portfolio transformation and senior adviser as the company prepares to split into three standalone public companies. Madden has been a central legal and business figure at Honeywell since 1996, serving as GC since 2017 and previously leading M&A for over a decade.
Her new role involves guiding the company’s transition into three distinct businesses: Honeywell Automation, Honeywell Aerospace, and Advanced Materials. The corporate restructuring follows pressure from Elliott Management and mirrors similar breakups by General Electric and Kellogg in recent years.
Madden previously led over 100 acquisitions and 70 divestitures, contributing to more than $15 billion in revenue growth and $9 billion in strategic exits. CEO Vimal Kapur cited her unmatched financial and strategic insight as vital to the success of the separation.
Su Ping Lu Promoted to Honeywell General Counsel
Replacing Madden is Su Ping Lu, who joined Honeywell 16 years ago and most recently served as vice president, corporate secretary, and general counsel for international operations. Her legal career began at Wilson Sonsini and Shearman & Sterling, and she holds degrees from Stanford and Columbia Law School.
Kapur called Lu a “critical partner” in Honeywell’s future strategy, highlighting her global legal expertise and leadership during key phases of the company’s evolution.
More on Honeywell’s leadership transition.
Thermo Fisher Appoints Tom Shropshire as General Counsel
Thermo Fisher Scientific has named Tom Shropshire as its new senior vice president and general counsel. Shropshire joins from Diageo plc, where he was general counsel and company secretary, and a member of the executive committee. Before Diageo, he spent nearly two decades at Linklaters LLP, including roles as Global Head of the U.S. Practice and co-head of the Risk & Resilience Practice.
Shropshire also holds multiple governance and nonprofit leadership positions, including as a trustee of NYU School of Law and a director at General Counsel for Diversity & Inclusion. He authored the UN Global Compact’s “Guide for General Counsel on Corporate Sustainability.”
His appointment reflects Thermo Fisher’s emphasis on global legal strategy, regulatory oversight, and ESG integration across its complex life sciences operations.
