Jennifer Gilhool

Jennifer Gilhool is a corporate attorney with extensive experience developing, implementing and assessing comprehensive global ethics and compliance programs, managing litigation risks, and providing business advice. Acuity spans strategic planning, operations, stakeholder engagement, and staffing with interpersonal skills to galvanize resources, navigate ambiguity, and thrive on challenges. exercise influence and achieve results.

Previously, Jennifer Gilhool was the Founder & CEO of Pink Streak Ink. Through written and vocal advocacy as well as collaboration with other like-minded individuals and organizations, Jennifer, strove to eliminate the more subtle sexism that holds women back from leadership in our global society and offer solutions for improving diversity and inclusion to fill the leadership pipeline with talent from the entirety of the talent pool.

Prior to founding Pink Streak Ink, Jennifer was the Director for Ford Motor Company’s Sustainability, Environment & Safety Engineering function (SE&SE) in Asia Pacific & Africa. She was also the Executive Sponsor for Regional Professional Women’s Network. In China, Jennifer organized a half day workshop to address rising anxiety levels in women just entering management. Family, work and even government expectations place tremendous pressure on these women. Working with renown China psychologist, Dr. Linqun Hu, the women gained skills and tools to enable the necessary conversations at home and the office to overcome their perceived and real challenges, including thecentral government’s propaganda movement of “sheng nu” or “leftover woman.”

Jennifer’s published her first book, Sheryl Sandberg, China & Me in July 2013. The book chronicles her own experience “leaning in” at a Fortune 10 Company and the realities of being a global business leader who happens to be a woman. Since that publication, Jennifer has become a regular contributor on Forbes.com on leadership, diversity and inclusion topics.

Jennifer graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1989 and received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1994, where she worked in the Michigan Legal Clinic representing women in a sex discrimination lawsuit. Jennifer received the Trial Advocacy Award for her work. After graduation, Jennifer served as a Public Interest Lawyers Initiative Fellow in Chicago representing women, children and the elderly in Cook County, Illinois seeking protective orders against on-going violence committed agains them.

Jennifer’s legal career began at one of the country’s leading law firms -- Jenner & Block in Chicago where she continued her pro bono work, including adding her time and talent to the Jenner & Block death penalty appeals team. Upon returning to her home of Michigan, Jennifer joined the boutique litigation firm, Kell & Lynch, P.C. and later joined Ford Motor Company’s Office of the General Counsel where she handled litigation matters and then regulatory matters governing motor vehicle safety.

In 2003, Jennifer made the unusal move from the legal office to the business side of Ford joining the SE&SE Function, which is responsible for all aspects of vehicle certification globally. In 2007, Jennifer took on the role of “chief of staff” for the SE&SE Group Vice President and, through this position, worked on ititiaves and strategies to return North America to profitability and increase the Company’s global presecence. Jennifer was the architect of SE&SE’s globalization strategy and then executed that strategy in Asia Pacific & Africa.

Jennifer has spoken for POWER Opening Doors for Women in Beijing, China on the topic of “work-life balance,” was featured in Chinese magazines as part of National Woman’s Day and has spoken on sustainability topics in China, including the Lanxess Mobility Day in Shanghai, China sponsored by APCO Worldwide. Gilhool has also been quoted and interviewed in China's top print, television and online media outlets, including: sina.com, World Vision Magazine, Business Value magazine and the 21st Century Business Herald. In addition, Gilhool has been interviewed by top global business publications, including Reuters and Dow Jones.

Follow Jennifer on Twitter @JG_Ink