Claudia S. Toussaint

Senior Vice President, Chief People and Sustainability Officer

Role at Xylem

Claudia is head of people and sustainability at Xylem. She is responsible for advancing people-centered strategies that enable colleagues to deliver on the company’s mission, and for developing sustainability strategies that reinforce Xylem’s long-term growth and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

In her role as head of people, Claudia works to help Xylem attract top talent to the water sector and to develop, connect and care for Xylem colleagues so they can do their best work. Xylem’s People team leads all aspects of colleague experience, including recruitment, development, compensation, benefits and well-being, and diversity, equity & inclusion. In her role as head of sustainability, Claudia works with cross-functional teams to develop and execute on the company’s sustainability and social impact strategies, including innovating through Watermark, Xylem’s corporate social responsibility program, progressing against Net Zero commitments, advancing customer sustainability and taking care of humanitarian needs in the communities Xylem and its customers call home.

Professional Background

Claudia joined Xylem in 2014 as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, serving in that capacity until 2021. She has more than 20 years of leadership experience in global enterprises and 30 years of legal experience, including as:

• Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Barnes Group Inc.
• General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Ethics Officer for Embarq Corporation, a telecommunications company spun-off from Sprint Nextel. She also held several positions of increasing responsibility at Sprint Nextel's predecessor companies
• Earlier in her career, Claudia served as an attorney at Morrison & Forrester LLP, an international law firm

Community Impact

Claudia is passionate about developing the next generation of leaders and creating opportunities through mentorship and supporting education. She serves as executive sponsor for the Xylem Women’s Network. She also serves on the Board of Earth Echo, an international nonprofit with a mission to build a global youth movement to protect and restore oceans.  At the University of California, Los Angeles, Claudia serves on the Advisory Board for Social Sciences and on the Selection Committee for the William Sharpe Fellows Program. At the University of California, UC Law, San Francisco, she serves on the Alumni Association Board of Governors and its Employment Committee.

Education

Juris Doctor, University of California, UC Law, San Francisco

Bachelor of Arts in Economics, University of California, Los Angeles