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Dec 14, 2020

Tractor Supply finds new general counsel and secretary

Noni Ellison succeeds Ben Parrish, who is retiring from the company

Nasdaq-listed Tractor Supply Company has hired Noni Ellison as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary and member of the company’s executive committee, effective January 11, 2021.

She succeeds Ben Parrish, who had announced his plans to retire from Tractor Supply following the appointment of a successor and a transition period.

Ellison will report directly to Tractor Supply president and CEO Hal Lawton. In addition to managing the company’s legal department, she will lead its risk management, government relations, licensing and quality assurance/customs compliance teams, as well as its ESG efforts.

She was most recently Carestream Dental’s general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary and a member of the executive leadership team. In that role, she managed legal and business employees based in North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe. She also oversaw regulatory affairs, quality assurance, environment, health and safety, facilities, security and real estate matters globally.

Before her time at Carestream Dental, Ellison was associate general counsel and assistant corporate secretary at Grainger, where she was responsible for leading the support on finance, treasury and governance issues globally. Prior to that, she worked at Turner Broadcasting Systems managing licensing, marketing, intellectual property and international matters. Earlier in her career, she worked at Scripps Networks as director of legal affairs as well as in private practice.

Tractor Supply describes itself as the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the US, whose clients include recreational farmers and ranchers.

‘We are excited to welcome Noni to Tractor Supply as our new general counsel and a member of our executive committee,’ Lawton says in a statement. ‘Noni comes to us with an impressive background and a proven track record of accomplishments. She brings deep experience across multiple industries and an ability to navigate complex legal issues and build strong teams.

‘Since joining Tractor Supply in 2010, Ben has played an integral role in [the company’s] growth and success and has served as a trusted and experienced counselor to the company and the board of directors. In my first year at Tractor Supply, Ben has been a great business partner to me, and we wish him all the best in his retirement.’

Ben Maiden

Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Governance Intelligence, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance...