DEBORAH P. MAJORAS IS CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER AND SECRETARY OF the Procter & Gamble Co., based in Cincinnati.

She graduated from Westminster College and the University of Virginia School of Law. She had a federal clerkship, then worked for Jones Day. She then became a deputy assistant attorney general, and in 2004 was appointed chair of the Federal Trade Commission. Later, she was named chief legal officer at P&G. P&G is a global company with more than $65 billion in annual sales and about 95,000 employees. As chief legal officer, Majoras leads P&G's legal, ethics and compliance, government relations, and anti-counterfeiting functions. She is also the company's corporate secretary and an executive co-sponsor of the company's Citizenship Board. She is also the executive sponsor of P&G's Gay, Ally, Bisexual, Lesbian & Transgender Employees (GABLE) group. She is a member of the board of directors of the Valero Energy Corp., The Christ Hospital Health Network and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, and is the chair of the board of trustees of Westminster College.

LEGAL TEAM: The legal team has over 500 employees. More than 300 are attorneys, and they work in nearly 50 countries. "P&G's legal division is typically viewed as tilting relatively heavily toward doing work in-house," Majoras said. "Our lawyers and other legal professionals do not just perform the routine work while outsourcing the rest. On the contrary, they are experts in their fields and also know our business extremely well, and so they handle a great deal of legal work themselves."

OUTSIDE COUNSEL: Majoras says, "We highly value our law firm partners, whom we consider to be part of our team. Our decisions on whether to staff with internal or external colleagues are driven by an assessment of quality, efficiency, and value created for the business. Areas in which we typically use outside counsel include litigation, major transactions, government investigations, and complex regulatory matters." P&G uses a preferred provider program when working with law firms. Firms include: Covington & Burling; Dinsmore & Shohl; Hunton & Williams; Jones Day; Weil, Gotshal & Manges; and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

TYPICAL DAY: "There is no typical day," Majoras says. "The only thing that is consistent is that I typically begin my day before 7 a.m. with a list of what I want to accomplish and end up blowing up the list by 9 a.m. When I arrive in the morning, I have emails from Asia, which has just finished its day, and from Europe, which is halfway through. Any of these may require phone calls or advice to draft. Throughout the day, I am constantly consulting with and advising our CEO and other business leaders on issues that arise daily. I meet with members of my own team to make decisions on litigation matters, transactions, business practices, compliance issues, and personnel issues. I work with team members on their career aspirations and development plans. I speak to groups within and outside of P&G on issues like leadership and diversity & inclusion. I meet with government officials … to develop relationships and advocate for P&G's interests." She works in Cincinnati but also spends time in Washington, D.C., and other U.S. and foreign cities. She says her favorite place to work is at a beach house on South Carolina's Kiawah Island.

PERSONAL: She is 54. "I am married to John Majoras, co-chair of the litigation practice at Jones Day. I have three stepchildren: Dr. Nicole Welch, 31 (married to Chris; parents to our granddaughter); Shannon Majoras, 28; and Andrew Majoras, 25," she said.

LAST BOOK READ: "Shoe Dog," by Phil Knight. "I love to read and have varied interests. … And I never miss reading the 'Dilbert' cartoon strip every day," she said.

WHAT KEEPS HER UP AT NIGHT: "Fortunately, I have been working long enough with volatility and uncertainty that I have learned to (most of the time) put it aside for the night, knowing that tomorrow will be another day to tackle our challenges," Majoras said. "What I most worry about is whether there is something major lurking around the corner that I can't see but that could have a huge negative impact on our company and its reputation. We are temporary caretakers of a company that has been improving consumers' lives for 180 years, and we have to make sure it can do the same for another 180, and beyond."