About

Joining Ingredion Incorporated in September 1996 after an associate income partner position with McDermott Will & Emery, as well as a period as a judicial clerk at the United States District Court of Colorado, Christine M. Castellano regards her accession to the associate general counsel position of the Illinois-based corn refiner and ingredient supplier as among her foremost career achievements. ‘This position gave me primary responsibility for legal matters outside of the US’, she says, ‘which broadened my personal and professional expertise as I worked closely with our international affiliates in the then South America and Asia Africa divisions of Corn Products International, the predecessor of Ingredion Incorporated. I was exposed to different cultures and legal systems, and had the opportunity to travel fairly extensively’. She continues to expand her role and responsibilities having been at the company for more than two decades, consistently finding new ways to add value to the business: ‘As part of an ongoing process, as general counsel, I am involved not just in legal issues, but with a wide range of business and strategic matters as well. I have had the opportunity to work with two different CEO’s, each with their own strengths, and with my C-Suite business colleagues in a collaborative way. I have had the opportunity to manage a highly diverse team, and to be involved in the company’s various initiatives, including our current focus on diversity and inclusion’. Despite the large size of the company and its Fortune 500 status, Castellano’s legal team is relatively lean and so she is required to maximise efficiencies through innovative working methods and the excellent characteristics of its team members. ‘I am fortunate to have an exceptional team of individuals, both attorneys and other professionals, who have demonstrated a willingness to take the lead on a number of operational issues, including cutting edge operations matters such as the future of AI in the legal field’, she says.