Spotlight: Sue Denigan ’76

Spotlight: Sue Denigan 76

Sue Denigan is the Chief Legal Officer at Nestle Purina and a Nerinx Hall graduate, class of  1976. Ms.Denigan has fond memories of her time at the Hall and said that she is most grateful for the education that she felt gave her “a stepping stone to law school.” Her best memories include her time spent performing and working on the shows. If she had to give her seventeen-year-old self one piece of advice she would say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

When asked if she felt that she had experienced any challenges specific to being a female executive, Ms.Denigan said she did not generally like gender based questions because she, “would prefer to get to a point where we don’t have to talk about it.” However, she did say that she found it hard on occasion to relate to male executives and find a mentor because “I don’t play golf.” Ms.Denigan was the first female executive at Purina to report directly to the CEO.

As an executive, Ms.Denigan is often looking for young talent. She said what she looks for is intelligence, character, and high energy.