Alfreda Bradley-Coar has been called many things, but “well-behaved” isn’t one of them. “Well-behaved women seldom make history,” she likes to say. It’s her personal mantra. “Most women don’t get to the top by simply following orders; the majority of those who have made it have mastered the art of taking risks, exercising leadership, and at times, diplomatically, breaking glass.”

In 2006, Bradley-Coar’s years of leadership and experience landed her in the position of general counsel for GE Healthcare, Diagnostic Imaging, the global health-care imaging equipment manufacturing division of the General Electric Co. She manages the division’s legal affairs, covering commercial, litigation, regulatory and business development matters, and oversees compliance programs involving anti-trust, controllership, money laundering and Sarbanes-Oxley issues. She is a member of the company’s elite Senior Executive Band, which represents the top one percent of the executive ranks within GE.

During her 12-year tenure with GE, Bradley-Coar has served as senior vice president and general counsel for the Equipment Services business and vice president and global regulatory counsel for the Insurance Solutions business. Prior to joining the company, she specialized in creditors’ rights, bankruptcy and corporate reorganizations at Chicago law firms Bell, Boyd & Lloyd L.L.C. and Seyfarth, Shaw & Geraldson L.L.C. She has always strived to make a difference in the lives of those impacted by her work, she says, whether it’s saving jobs by preventing a company bankruptcy or negotiating a merger to leverage greater medical resources for patients around the globe. “At the end of every day, I hope that it’s not only the quantity of work that I’ve done that’s remembered, but the quality of it all that endures,” she states.

Bradley-Coar holds a MBA from Northwestern University and earned both a bachelor’s and law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a national officer of GE’s companywide African-American Forum, a member of the GE Women’s Network and an avid supporter of the company’s numerous other affinity groups. In addition to being associated with several professional organizations, she gives time to such nonprofit groups as The Links Inc. and the HistoryMakers, both of which are dedicated to enriching the lives of African-Americans.