Head of the Firm's innovative Public Company Advisory Practice, Karen Hsu Kelley counsels U.S. and non-U.S. public companies on governance considerations and compliance with federal securities laws and the listing requirements of the major U.S. exchanges. In her practice, Karen regularly assists public companies on navigating a wide range of matters, including SEC and stock exchange reporting and disclosure requirements, disclosure of board and executive compensation, corporate governance, conflicts of interest, crisis management planning, shareholder proposals, director independence, insider trading considerations, the impact of proxy advisory firms, and responses to formal and informal SEC inquiries.
A significant portion of Karen’s practice specifically relates to advising boards of directors and board committees, including regarding board and committee structures, new developments and changing best practices in governance, sensitive management and board leadership transitions, and board and committee self-assessments.
During her career spanning over two decades, Karen has advised a wide range of clients, from Dow 30, Fortune 100 and S&P 500 companies to small- and mid-cap companies along with IPO companies, including American Electric Power, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Blackstone, Caterpillar, Cigna, Cooper-Standard Holdings, Hovnanian Enterprises, Laureate Education, LivaNova plc, Radius Recycling, SiriusXM and The Travelers Companies, Inc. In addition, Karen sits on the Advisory Board for Practical Law with respect to Capital Markets & Governance matters.
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Work Highlights
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Amneal Pharmaceuticals with respect to board, governance and disclosure matters
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Caterpillar in a variety of board, governance and disclosure matters, including executive compensation considerations
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Cigna in a variety of board, governance and disclosure matters
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Hovnanian with respect to board, governance and disclosure matters, including executive and compensation considerations
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The Travelers Companies, Inc. in a number of governance, disclosure and transactional matters
Accolades
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Lawdragon “500 Leading Dealmakers in America” (2025)
Education
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Columbia Law School, 2002 J.D.
Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
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Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs, 1997 B.A.
cum laude
Head of the Firm's innovative Public Company Advisory Practice, Karen Hsu Kelley counsels U.S. and non-U.S. public companies on governance considerations and compliance with federal securities laws and the listing requirements of the major U.S. exchanges. In her practice, Karen regularly assists public companies on navigating a wide range of matters, including SEC and stock exchange reporting and disclosure requirements, disclosure of board and executive compensation, corporate governance, conflicts of interest, crisis management planning, shareholder proposals, director independence, insider trading considerations, the impact of proxy advisory firms, and responses to formal and informal SEC inquiries.
A significant portion of Karen’s practice specifically relates to advising boards of directors and board committees, including regarding board and committee structures, new developments and changing best practices in governance, sensitive management and board leadership transitions, and board and committee self-assessments.
During her career spanning over two decades, Karen has advised a wide range of clients, from Dow 30, Fortune 100 and S&P 500 companies to small- and mid-cap companies along with IPO companies, including American Electric Power, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Blackstone, Caterpillar, Cigna, Cooper-Standard Holdings, Hovnanian Enterprises, Laureate Education, LivaNova plc, Radius Recycling, SiriusXM and The Travelers Companies, Inc. In addition, Karen sits on the Advisory Board for Practical Law with respect to Capital Markets & Governance matters.
Karen received her J.D. in 2002 from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She received a B.A., cum laude, from Princeton University in 1997.