Matthew Hamel is executive vice president, general counsel and secretary for Brown‑Forman and has served on the Executive Leadership Team since 2007.

As general counsel, Matt leads Brown‑Forman’s legal, compliance, risk, and government relations teams, overseeing activities related to corporate governance, SEC and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, regulatory compliance, trade practices, trademarks, litigation, acquisitions, enterprise risk management, and other matters. He founded and leads a nationwide organization for general counsel and other senior governance professionals at publicly listed family-controlled companies.

Matt has more than 35 years of international legal and corporate management experience in technology, consumer goods, and media firms. Prior to Brown‑Forman, he was with Dow Jones & Company, Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive LLC (Factiva), and Colgate-Palmolive Company. Matt started his career as an associate with the law firm of White & Case.

Matt serves on the boards of directors of Kentucky Opera and Louisville Ballet. Within Brown‑Forman, he is the executive sponsor for PRIDE, the employee resource group for employees and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from Yale University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago Law School. In addition, he was a Fulbright Scholar in Sweden.

He currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife. They have two grown daughters and two grandchildren.