US homebuilder Lennar has hired Katherine Lee Martin as chief legal officer, replacing general counsel Mark Sustana, who is retiring from the company next month.
Martin joins from rental car business Hertz, where she was promoted to GC last year. At Lennar, she will oversee all legal matters. She is due to join on 2 September.
Miami-based Lennar is one of the largest home construction companies in the US, generating more than $35bn in revenue last year.
Stuart Miller, executive chairman and co-chief executive officer, said: “[Martin’s] experience across corporate law, litigation, technology and regulatory issues, marked by a strong commitment to ethical standards and operational excellence, make her a great fit for our company. We look forward to having her as an integral part of the executive team.”
Martin arrives after just over two years at Hertz, which she joined in May 2023 from Twitter where she spent just under two years, first as head of Americas litigation and regulatory matters, and then as senior director for legal.
Prior to that she spent 13 years in the US Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of Virginia, half of the time as a supervisor and the other half as an assistant US attorney. She started her legal career clerking in the US District Court for the same district.
Sustana, meanwhile, is departing after two decades with the company. He was previously counsel at legacy chemicals business GenTek, industrial and consumer products business JM Huber and children’s products business Russ Berrie, having started his career in private practice at Dunnington Bartholow & Miller.
The firm said Sustana has played a pivotal role in supporting the company’s expansion and helping navigating complex legal and regulatory matters. He will stay on to consult for the company to ensure a smooth transition.
Miller said: “Mark has been a trusted leader and advisor, and a steady hand through the last 20 years of change and opportunity at Lennar. His integrity, wisdom and dedication to our company have helped shape the foundation we stand on today. We thank him for his many years of service and wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”
In other US housing-related moves, last August luxury home fittings business Kohler hired former Husch Blackwell partner Megan Belcher as CLO, filling the seat left empty by Natalie Maciolek who left the previous year to join Molson Coors.
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