Karen Clayton was appointed General Counsel of Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national airline, in October 2023 and is responsible for leading the company’s legal, governance, and ethics and compliance department. She is also responsible for the leadership of Etihad’s integrated ESG activities.

Karen is an English-qualified solicitor and an experienced international senior executive with over 26 years of experience in legal, governance, data privacy, corporate strategy, and risk management, having worked for large companies across the world in the global aviation, energy, and professional services sectors, including companies listed on the London, New York, Australian, and New Zealand stock exchanges.

Before joining Etihad, Karen held the position of General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at the International Air Transport Association based in Geneva, Switzerland, and prior to that held the same role at Air New Zealand based in Auckland. Before moving into the aviation sector and following a successful career as a commercial litigator in top-tier law firms in the UK and Australia, Karen held the role of UK General Counsel and Company Secretary at National Grid and General Counsel at Mercury NZ.

Karen holds a bachelor’s in laws from Sheffield University, a Diploma in Legal Practice from Exeter University, and was admitted as a solicitor of England and Wales in September 1999 after completing her professional training at Herbert Smith in London. Karen has two teenage children and enjoys all things to do with sport, adventure, and food!