Caroline Krass Named Executive Vice President And General Counsel for Hilton

Hilton (NYSE:HLT) yesterday named Caroline Krass as executive vice president and general counsel. She most recently served as the general counsel for the Department of Defense (DoD) and has held senior leadership roles throughout her career including as general counsel for General Insurance and deputy general counsel at AIG, and as partner at Gibson Dunn. Krass will join Hilton on March 17, 2025, reporting to Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton, and serving as a member of the executive committee.

“Caroline has spent her career leading large global teams through complex legal matters in high-stakes, fast-paced environments in both the public and private sectors. As I’ve gotten to know her, I’ve quickly come to admire her thoughtfulness and deep desire to drive business impact. As we prepare to welcome Caroline in March, I am confident that her capacity to lead with speed, agility and discipline and offer the very best, most thoughtful legal counsel will only strengthen our ability to drive strong results for our stakeholders,” said Nassetta.  

“I am thrilled to be joining Hilton, a company I have long admired for its award-winning culture and commitment to operating with integrity around the world,” said Krass. “As someone who developed a love for travel at a young age, I look forward to working with Chris and the world class team to advance Hilton’s business interests, safeguard its reputation, and ultimately generate meaningful business impact everywhere Hilton operates.” 

Prior to her leadership roles at DoD and in the private sector, Caroline made history as the first woman to be confirmed by the US Senate as general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), part of her 25 years of public sector experience. Krass has received multiple awards and honors, including the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service — the highest DoD award for a non-career federal employee, the CIA Distinguished Intelligence Medal and CIA Director’s Award, the John Marshall Award — the highest Department of Justice Award for an attorney, and the Department of State Superior Honor Award. She has served in a number of advisory roles in the Intelligence Community as well as on the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security, the Advisory Board of the National Security Institute at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, and the Advisory Board of the Cybersecurity Law Institute at Georgetown University Law Center.