Kim Yapchai
Board Member
DirectWomen
Kim Yapchai is a seasoned global legal executive and business partner, distinguished by her deep expertise in law, compliance, business operations, and ESG in public multinational corporations. Her strategic vision and foresight empower her to seamlessly navigate challenges and uncertainties while shaping transformative business strategies. This capability is further enhanced by her talent for cultivating global partnerships that extend across continents from Asia to North America.
During her impactful journey at Tenneco, Inc., Ms. Yapchai rose to senior vice president and chief environmental, social, and governance officer. In this capacity, she led enterprise risk management, directed compliance, ESG and legal operations, and played a pivotal role in multibillion-dollar M&A integrations. Her initiation of a robust ESG program propelled Tenneco to top quartile rankings and contributed to earning the Ethisphere’s ‘World’s Most Ethical Company’ award twice. She also led the integration of ethics, compliance programs, and legal operations following a $5.4 billion acquisition.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Yapchai served as the chief compliance officer at Whirlpool, where she led a comprehensive overhaul of the compliance program. Prior to that, she progressed through several key roles at the Masco Corporation, culminating in her position as assistant general counsel and director of group legal affairs and ethics, significantly contributing to the legal strategy and operations.
Complementing her professional achievements Ms. Yapchai’s academic background includes a juris doctor degree with honors from Wayne State University Law School and a bachelor of arts degree with honors from the University of Michigan. Her dedication to legal and business ethics extends to her board involvement, where she advocates for diversity and sustainability as a board member of DirectWomen and the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum, influencing policy and practice in the broader business community.