Altria names first woman as board chair

Kathryn B. McQuade will be the first woman to chair Altria Group Inc.’s Board of Directors, the Henrico County-based tobacco product manufacturing company announced Monday. She will be elected at the conclusion of Altria’s annual shareholders meeting May 20.

McQuade joined the board in 2012 and replaces Thomas F. Farrell II, who died in April one day after stepping down as Dominion Energy Inc.’s executive chair and top leader, and had planned to retire in May as Altria’s independent board chair.

McQuade served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. before retiring in 2012, and she held executive roles at Norfolk Southern Corp. for 27 years. On Altria’s board, McQuade serves as chair of the nominating, corporate governance and social responsibility committee and is a member of the audit, executive, compensation and talent development committees.

“I am thrilled with Kathryn’s selection to be Altria’s next independent board chair,” Altria CEO Billy Gifford said in a statement. “I believe that her significant expertise, including in finance, business strategy and working within regulated industries, will help advance our focus on ‘Moving Beyond Smoking.’”