___________________________________________________________________________________ Susan
Hudson | Flowserve a contract negotiator. At first, some people were concerned about how the use of AI will impact their jobs. Our view is that AI is a tool that frees time for people to spend on the more interesting parts of their role. It’ s also a skill worth building, keeping my team members professionally competitive rather than falling behind.”
Bringing others forward
Throughout her journey in legal, Susan’ s definition of success has evolved significantly.“ Early on, I was constantly chasing something, whether it was new opportunities, progression, or job titles,” she reflects.“ It’ s not a bad thing to chase, especially early in your career, as saying yes to assignments and rotations opened doors for new experiences.”
Today, Susan’ s focus has shifted away from her own career and toward how she can support and uplift others.“ I’ m super passionate about the development of our people, and it really hit home when I moved into the Chief Legal Officer role,” she explains.“ I want the talent on my team and across the company to have opportunities and experiences that make people more well-rounded and better equipped to give sound advice.
“ I’ m aware there’ s going to be a point where I move on, and I want to set up the next generation for success. To me, that’ s my biggest legacy: that a successor comes out of my organization, and all the way down we’ re seeing promotions. That’ s the dream.”
Susan’ s approach to development is evident in how she manages her team, from a development and engagement committee to‘ lunch and learn’ training sessions. A firm favorite is project pools, where the leadership team collates worthwhile projects and offers them to the wider team.“ This gives people with capacity a stretch assignment and a legal sponsor to support them, while we get to tick a project off the list,” Susan explains.“ It’ s meaningful development that gives people a broader perspective around the organization.”
Off the clock
Away from work, Susan enjoys time with her husband and two teenage daughters, who often travel the world together.“ My daughters are lovely; they’ re not your typical teenagers,” she laughs.“ I also love spending time outdoors, whether it’ s hiking, hunting, or paddleboarding, and as a TCU graduate, I still follow the TCU Horned Frogs football team.”
Susan’ s preference for progress and people is the thread that ties her personal life and career together. It runs through both the way she approaches risk as something to work with rather than fear, and in the culture and vision she has established across her team. ■
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