Richard Winston is the chief legal officer, executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Fike Corp., a global company specializing in explosion protection, pressure-regulation technologies, and industrial fire-safety solutions for over 75 years. Fike has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Belgium, and the United Kingdom and sales offices in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Winston has over 25 years of experience as a legal professional and senior executive. He is responsible for corporate governance, cybersecurity and privacy, legal and enterprise risk, insurance, litigation management, mergers and acquisitions, global employment matters, regulatory compliance, and estate- and family-management matters.

Prior to joining Fike, Winston held several general counsel, senior executive, business development, and relations positions at the following: Koch Industries, an international diversified petroleum and chemicals company; General Electric Capital Corp. (i) a commercial trailers, modular building, equipment rental and leasing unit; and (ii) an information technology distribution, financing, and vendor financial services. He also served at Navidec, a software development, professional services, and automotive e-commerce company, and Waffle House, a 24-hour casual dining and franchisor company. Winston has represented early-stage companies, middle-market firms, and multi-billion-dollar corporations. Winston earned a green belt in Lean Six Sigma. He has trained in Theory of Constraints processes and has attended the Global Institute for Leadership Development.

Winston has a track record of success providing a strategic global risk perspective while increasing the efficiency of compliance processes and net profit margins. As well as providing leadership to the board, C-suite, and senior commercial leaders; accessing consultancies in privacy, insurance, and dispute resolution; developing business and corporate plans; establishing high performance cultures; and managing strategic relationships (i.e., law firms, international trade, customs, and banking firms). His competencies include corporate governance, enterprise risk management, finance, strategic planning, communication/writing, diversity, equity and inclusion, negotiations, crisis management, compliance, organizational development, cross-functional management, and fiduciary. He is creative, strategic, engaging, collaborative, and a critical thinker and an insatiable learner with strong interpersonal skills who values a centered leadership approach and strong ethical standards.

Winston currently serves on the board of Saint Luke’s Health System (audit and compliance committee from 2022 to present) and Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City, Missouri (chair, Ignition Lab committee from 2021 to present). Winston previously served on the boards of the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Kansas and Western Missouri (president from 2016 to 2021); Communities In Schools in Wichita, Kansas, and Sedgwick, Colorado; and the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum in Wichita, Kansas. Winston earned a bachelor of arts from the University of Michigan and a juris doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School.