Laura Schumacher

Laura Schumacher is a Senior Advisor at BarkerGilmore, focusing on executive coaching and advising. She provides invaluable guidance to General Counsel and other senior executives and plays a pivotal role in devising and implementing comprehensive strategies to foster professional and business growth. She is an accomplished senior healthcare executive whose expertise includes legal affairs, compliance, corporate governance, communications and business development, and public and non-profit board service.

Laura most recently served as the Vice Chairman of External Affairs and Chief Legal Officer of AbbVie, where she guided a staff of more than 700 to fulfill AbbVie’s purpose-driven mission to drive continuous innovation, improve health outcomes and enhance people’s lives. She built and directed numerous high-impact functions, including Legal, Compliance, Business Development, Government Affairs, Health Economics Outcomes Research (HEOR), Brand & Communications, and Corporate Responsibility.

Before AbbVie, Laura served as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Abbott Laboratories, where she led a global legal and compliance organization of approximately 500 employees covering multiple operating business units, including pharmaceuticals (proprietary and established), diagnostics, devices, and nutritional products.

Laura holds board positions at General Dynamics and CrowdStrike, where she contributes her invaluable insights as a member of various committees. In addition, she has board experience from several prominent non-profit organizations, including Ronald McDonald House Charities and the AbbVie Foundation.

Laura’s dedication to diversity and commitment to equal justice has earned her prestigious awards and accolades, including the National Association of Women Lawyers’ Leadership Award, Chambers and Partners’ Outstanding Contribution Award, and the American Bar Association’s esteemed Margaret Brent Award.

Laura received her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and her B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.