Alyson Lawrence

How an authentic journey brought leadership success

Learn about Johnson & Johnson’s executive Alyson Lawrence and her thoughts on authenticity.


In brief
  • Alyson Lawrence, VP of Global Taxation at Johnson & Johnson, leads major tax transformations.
  • Her career journey includes CPA and tax law roles, with significant contributions to M&A tax law.
  • Alyson emphasizes mentorship and inclusion, fostering a collaborative environment and inspiring future leaders to stay true to themselves.

In her time as a business and tax professional at Johnson & Johnson, Alyson Lawrence has quickly become known as an expert in her field, a value creator and an empathetic, inclusive leader. 

As Vice President of Global Taxation at Johnson & Johnson, a 138-year-old multinational health care company, Alyson is highly respected among her peers and celebrated for her forthright approach and bold leadership.

“I try to be authentic, direct and transparent with my team and others,” she says. “But I also strive to lead with empathy, and to recognize people in the moment for their efforts.”

 

Drawing on this open and collaborative approach, Alyson successfully led a team through the tax workstream for a transformative business transaction — the 2023 separation of Johnson & Johnson’s consumer health business. This transaction, one of the largest split-offs to occur in the US, required significant effort from Alyson and her team to redesign the company’s tax organization, quickly define and deliver her vision for Johnson & Johnson tax, and transparently lead her team to embrace a bold vision for the future.

 

Growing up in southern New Jersey, Alyson followed in the footsteps of two generations of CPAs, majoring in accounting at Georgetown University and earning a CPA license. Gravitating to research and creative pursuits, she quickly realized that the traditional public accounting role wasn’t for her. This path led Alyson to law school, where she studied tax law.

 

Following law school, she explored international tax and tax controversy at Dewey Ballantine LLP, and as she expanded her tax and legal skill sets, she further enhanced her expertise by pursuing M&A tax law — a field she was once hesitant to explore because of its perceived demands. That willingness to open her mind to this new career path was instrumental in her long-term success.

 

“When I finally did say ‘yes’ to pursuing M&A tax law, I embarked on an incredible journey that paved the way for my Johnson & Johnson career,” she recalls.

 

While Alyson had a very linear career as a CPA and tax lawyer, her leadership skills and impact meant she was often tapped for opportunities before she thought she was ready for them.

 

Looking back on the journey that led her to where she is today, Alyson shares three key lessons learned.

 

Be authentically you

Before finding her footing as a leader, Alyson sometimes moderated her most ambitious dreams. She didn’t follow her heart to study abroad during college, despite a love for her ancestral Italy, or seek an international work assignment early in her career. She took a more practical route in college, with early graduation, and wasn’t always authentic early on in her career.

 

"I held back on my authentic self quite a bit, based on feedback that I was ‘too direct,’ which I now regret,” she recalls.

 

To young professionals hearing similar critiques, Alyson advises that they keep an open mind but not force themselves to change. Today, she draws on her authenticity and direct communication style to be an effective leader.

 

“You don’t want to lose what makes you who you are or what you bring to the table,” she says. “How much you dial that up or down within the context of each situation is what matters. Figuring out how to do it in the right ways is part of the leadership growth journey.”

 

Alyson advises that future leaders “do it your own way,” speaking to the importance of her authentic leadership style and being true to herself as a leader.

Pay it forward – and back. Mentorship goes both ways

Alyson’s formative mentors were her family. Having a father that was also a CPA was instrumental in Alyson’s early career success as she drew from his experiences and counsel. Her paternal grandparents and mother were generous and hospitable, traits Alyson strives to bring into her personal and professional life, particularly in the areas of mentorship and sponsorship, which Alyson has found to be incredibly rewarding.

She is the global sponsor for Johnson & Johnson Global Finance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; has sponsored the company’s Asian Finance Leadership Council; and participated in mentoring circles with the Finance African Ancestry Leadership and Finance Latina/Latino Ancestry Councils. She is also praised for her dedication to supporting workplace mental health and wellbeing initiatives.

Johnson & Johnson also taps into its next generation of employees for reverse mentoring to foster learning and inclusion.

“Don’t underestimate those small interactions,” Alyson advises. “Be open and authentic,” she counsels her teams, recalling how constructive criticism, encouragement and praise from former leaders and mentors helped motivate and shape her own career journey.”

Whether positioning tax as a value driver, leading transformation workstreams across business functions or upskilling her own teams, the feedback and skills she learned from those in her network were integral to her approach and ultimately, her team’s successful contributions to the business.

Prioritize inclusion and belonging while leading

Thinking about the future for their tween-aged daughter, Alyson and her husband want to help their daughter forge her own path in her future career.

“The first thing I would say about the business world that my daughter will enter is that I really hope it is inclusive, so that she finds her place — in whatever her chosen passion and career — in a way that is unbiased and nonjudgmental,” says Alyson.

Professionally, inclusion and belonging empower Alyson’s approach to leading teams.

“It’s about being open and making people feel comfortable,” she says. “If we focus on inclusion and belonging as important to the fabric of a successful workplace culture, I think the business world will naturally evolve to that.”

This inclusive approach was essential when Alyson brought together the Johnson & Johnson US tax team to be one team in New Brunswick, NJ. This required creating a vision for “one Johnson & Johnson Tax” focused on collaboration, listening and decisiveness.

By leading with an open mind and heart and being true to herself, Alyson has proved that a leader can be vulnerable, honest and ultimately successful in the business world. And while her journey has not always been direct, her path to where she is today is one that has developed her as a successful leader, mother, wife, daughter and sister — and an honest and mindful mentor and trailblazer.

Summary 

Johnson & Johnson exec advises young professionals to keep an open mind in the business world but to not force themselves to change who they are.

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