Today's guest is Tricia Kinney, a seasoned General Counsel and executive who’s led legal, compliance, and corporate affairs at some of the largest and most complex organizations in North America.

Most recently the GC and Corporate Secretary at BlueLinx Corporation, Tricia has built and led teams across industries—from manufacturing to services—navigating M&A, enterprise risk, governance, and global operations. Her leadership experience includes time as Chief Legal & Compliance Officer at ServiceMaster and over a decade at Kimberly-Clark, where she advised across the company’s global supply chain and professional business units.

In this episode, Cecilia and Tricia unpack:
– What it takes to operate legal as a C-level business partner
– How to build legal teams that thrive through change and complexity
– The role of governance and communication in scaling trust
– Why leading with clarity and empathy matters—especially at the top

Whether you're building your legal team or stepping into executive leadership, Tricia’s story is packed with wisdom and hard-earned perspective.

Follow Tricia Kinney:

@Tricia Kinney on LinkedIn


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Show notes: 

– How to operate legal from the boardroom to the business
– Building legal teams that perform through transformation
– Governance, trust, and communication across executive leadership
– Advice for GCs moving into the C-suite

Books/Frameworks Mentioned:

– “Multipliers” by Liz Wiseman
– “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni