What military life and parenting taught Nestlé's chief legal officer about leadership

A career built on saying yes

Barbara’s first in-house legal role was at a non-profit health system, and she knew right away it was the right fit. She loved having one client, maintaining one central focus, and solving problems as a true business partner. When that hospital system was acquired, she started looking for something new and found Nestlé almost by accident. “I literally just applied cold,” she said. “I knew nobody at Nestlé. I knew very little about Nestlé. But I thought, well, that’s interesting.”

She got the job. And then she fell in love with the company.

Barbara started by supporting Nestlé Professional in the U.S., and from there, she just kept raising her hand. Somebody needed help in the baking division? She volunteered. Data privacy needed support? She was in. Compliance? Same. “I don’t think I’m the smartest person in the room, but I just think, well, if someone else can figure it out, I can probably figure it out, too. So, I’ll try it.”

That willingness to try led her from Nestlé Professional to serving as general counsel for both Nespresso and Professional in the U.S., two very different businesses she loved for different reasons. Nespresso’s focus on sustainability and direct-to-consumer products spoke to her heart. Professional was her “first Nestlé love.”

Then came Nestlé Health Science, where all of her experience came together: healthcare knowledge, distribution expertise, and direct-to-consumer savvy to support products like Vital Proteins and Garden of Life. She spent almost five years there as general counsel, calling it a “spectacular training ground” for integrating acquired businesses and navigating complex challenges.

When the chief legal officer role at Nestlé U.S.A. opened, she was ready for a new challenge.

What military family life taught her about leadership

Barbara was a military spouse for the early part of her career, and those years fundamentally shaped how she approaches work. Her family wanted to be stationed near family in Florida, but they got sent to Alaska instead. That’s just how it went. But it was her husband’s attitude that made everything possible. “His mindset was always, ‘Why can’t we do that? Of course we can do that. We’ll figure it out,’” Barbara recalled. “There was no way we could have done it without him having that attitude.”

That resilience carried over into her professional life. Barbara doesn’t shy away from risk. She credits military life with teaching her that change isn’t something to fear; it’s something to work with. “Risk is not a bad thing. Risk is an opportunity. Military life taught us that change presents opportunity.”

It’s also why she thrives at Nestlé, a company that’s constantly evolving. New divisions, new acquisitions, new challenges. For Barbara, that constant motion feels familiar and exciting.

Why flexibility matters for military families (and everyone else)

Barbara’s husband retired from the Air Force a couple of years into her time at Nestlé and started a second career at an insurance company. Watching his transition from military to civilian life gave her a clear perspective on what organizations often get wrong. “People really underestimate military people,” she said. “Their skill set — resilience, vision, organization, leadership, change management, the ability to learn new skills quickly — is really translatable to a corporate environment.”

She also pointed out that it can be tough for military professionals to translate their experience into corporate job applications. The roles don’t always map neatly, even when the skills clearly do.

For military spouses and families, Barbara emphasized that flexible work environments make a real difference. Military families often don’t have relatives nearby to help with everyday things like picking up children from school. A workplace that offers flexibility isn’t just a perk — it’s what makes a career possible.

Nestlé supports its employees through a collaborative environment and various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including one for working parents. Barbara noted that these communities aren’t about complaining. They’re about finding solutions together. “Parents are great resources,” she said. “Parents want to help each other.”

Leading a team of 46: what parenthood teaches you about people

When Barbara talks about leadership, she keeps coming back to something unexpected: parenting.

It’s a comparison that might catch you off guard; but the more she explains it, the more sense it makes. A lot of leaders fall into a common trap: applying the same playbook to every person on their team — the same check-ins, same expectations, same development path. It’s efficient, sure. But it misses the point. Because people aren’t templates. And leading them well means seeing them for who they actually are, not who you expect them to be.

That’s something Barbara learned raising six children. Each one was different. What motivated one kid didn’t work for the next. Strengths showed up in unexpected places. And just when she thought she’d figured out parenting with one child, the next one would come along and change all the rules. “Once you think you’ve mastered it with one child, you think, ‘OK, I got it. I know how to be a parent.’ And then the next kid comes and it’s totally different,” she laughed.

That experience made it natural for her to do something that sounds simple but is surprisingly rare in corporate leadership: actually look at each person on her team as an individual. Not as a mirror of what she wants them to be. Not through the lens of a standardized career ladder. But as someone with their own combination of strengths and growth areas, and their own idea of where they want to go.

First, see the real person. Then ask what they want.

Barbara broke it down with a couple of examples from her team. One person might have strong writing skills but feel less confident when speaking. Another might be an incredible deep-dive analyst who hasn’t yet learned how to present insights at a higher level for executive audiences. In both cases, the first question she asks isn’t “How do I fix this?” It’s “Do they want to grow in that direction?”

“This person has super strong writing skills but may not be as strong in speaking. Do they want to be stronger? Then let’s get some coaching,” she explained. “This other person is a deep knowledge expert — I respect that immensely. How do I help them build a different skill set so they can become a leader at a different level?”

That two-step approach (see the person first, then ask what they want) is what separates genuine development from top-down management. It’s the difference between telling someone what their career should look like and helping them build the career they actually want. With her own children, Barbara says it works the same way. “I have a lot of things I think they should do, but in the end, they’re going to do what they want to do. So how do I help them add tools to their toolkit that help them achieve their goals?”

That same commitment applies to her legal team. Real leadership isn’t about creating copies of yourself. It’s about creating opportunities for other leaders to emerge, by investing the time to understand each person and meeting them where they are.

Where parenting meets the military mindset

What’s striking about Barbara’s leadership philosophy is how the two biggest threads in her life — military family resilience and motherhood — weave together into something bigger than either one alone.

From military life, she got the belief that no challenge is too big to face and that risk is just another word for opportunity. From parenting, she got the ability to see people as they really are, not through a generic lens, but as individuals with specific strengths worth developing and specific goals worth supporting.

Put them together and you get a leader who doesn’t flinch when things change, who sees potential in places others might miss, and who’s fully committed to helping each person on her team become the best version of themselves.

“Individuals are amazing and everyone has different strengths. My job is learning how to communicate in a way that shows I'm genuinely here to support them as they navigate their unique path, while helping each person bring out their best."

It’s a kind of leadership you can't really learn from a management book. It comes from real life, from adapting to military moves, from raising six very different children, and from showing up every day willing to figure it out.

Why Nestlé is a place to build a career with purpose

Barbara’s own journey is perhaps the strongest argument for what a career at Nestlé can look like. She started with a cold application, not knowing anyone at the company, and over the years moved across divisions, expanded her expertise, and took on increasing responsibility — all while raising six children.

She describes the culture as “engaged” and “collaborative,” with a support system that helps employees grow. Her legal team operates as connectors within the organization, working across departments to solve problems and move the business forward.

“Legal is really recognized as a business partner here,” Barbara said. “We’re not just there to say no. We help solve business problems. That’s what we do and who we are.”

For anyone considering a career at Nestlé — whether you’re a military spouse navigating career changes, a parent looking for a company that gets it, or a professional ready to take on something new — Barbara’s story is proof that there’s room to grow here.

Ready to explore what your career could look like at Nestlé? Check out their open roles and follow the company to stay updated on new opportunities.