Kathryn “Kate” Barton

Kate Barton is Global Chief Executive Officer of Dentons, the world’s largest global law firm with a presence in more than 80 countries. 

Prior to this role, Kate served as the Global Vice Chair of Tax, Law and People Advisory Services of EY and was a member of the Global Executive Board. As the leader of thousands of EY professionals across 150 countries, she was involved in all aspects of the businesses she managed, including strategy and operations, people development, client relations, quality control, risk management, thought leadership, learning and new service innovation. Kate also introduced transformative technologies to the range of services the firm offered, such as SAAS as a business, and negotiated investments, alliances and acquisitions that helped drive innovation and growth, leading EY’s global tax practice to #1 position in terms of brand and market share. 

Over the years, Kate served as a Senior Advisory Partner on a number of the Global Tax practice’s largest accounts, including Honeywell Incorporated, J&J, IBM, The Kraft Group, Saudi Aramco and Ralph Lauren.

Her notable combination of global business expertise, large professional network and high profile as a TV and print media spokesperson positioned her as a sought after, not-for-profit board member. While with EY, her community and philanthropic interests focused on expanding opportunities for students and young professionals, and she serves on the Boards of the All Stars Project and the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project. Kate is also on the Board of Directors at Catalyst, a global nonprofit at the forefront of women’s advancement and inclusion and she is a board member serving SharkNinja, a NYSE public company focused on innovative lifestyle products and solutions. Kate serves on the Boston College Law Deans Advisory Council and the Boston University School of Management Advisory Council. After retiring from EY in 2023, she has undertaken business-related board involvements and was named to the board of the Ireland Funds. 

Kate received a B.S. from Boston University, a J.D. from Boston College Law School, Magna Cum Laude, Order of the Coif and an LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University School of Law. She has attended the Executive MBA programs at the Kellogg School of Management and Harvard University. She is NACD Director Certified and is qualified to serve as a financial expert under SEC, NYSE and NASDAQ rules.