Chicago, IL. Nixon Peabody is continuing its string of notable hires with the addition of Kamau Coar, former Chief Legal Officer and Chief Inclusion Officer at Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSII), a public international executive search firm. As counsel in Nixon Peabody’s Chicago office, Kamau will advise public and private corporations and their leadership suites on enterprise risk management, governance issues, and litigation across practices and industry sectors. Kamau will sit within Nixon Peabody’s Labor & Employment practice, providing clients with strategic employment counseling and litigation representation.
“Kamau is a proven leader with a strong background managing business and legal strategies, and his global experience will make him an invaluable colleague to our practice and partner to our clients,” said Tara Daub, leader of Nixon Peabody’s Labor & Employment practice. “Kamau is an innovative thinker and stays a step ahead of client needs, which are key in today’s business landscape.”
During his previous role as CLO and CIO, Kamau advised Heidrick’s board and its senior management team, provided data-driven insights on strategic risks, directed global litigation, and navigated complex negotiations, which are skills and experiences he brings to Nixon Peabody.
Drawing from his deep experience, Kamau works closely with organizations to ensure that their employment policies and practices proactively mitigate risks before they occur, including conducting preemptive training sessions for managers and employees at all levels. Kamau also works with employers to conduct internal investigations and defends them against litigation, including wage-and-hour, discrimination, workplace harassment, disability accommodation, and retaliation claims. He also practices extensively in non-compete litigation, helping employers develop and protect their rights in trade secrets and other proprietary information, and to enforce post-employment restrictions.
Kamau will help clients manage communications to stakeholders on issues related to risk, specifically through their board governance, risk, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs. He will help his clients build and manage their annual enterprise risk management programs, which are designed to help identify, measure, monitor, and mitigate the impact of the organizational risks to their strategic objectives.
“Kamau’s C-suite, in-house experience gives him a unique perspective to help clients pursue their strategic objectives in a dynamic marketplace,” said David R. Brown, managing partner of Nixon Peabody’s Chicago office. “We look forward to introducing him to our clients, particularly those that are public companies.”
Kamau attended Duke University School of Law and earned a BA from the Johns Hopkins University.
