Kevin Rhodes, 3M’s chief legal affairs officer, began 2023 by helping to spin off the health care business Solventum into a stand-alone public company, and in the second half he struck nearly $18 billion in settlements to resolve litigation stemming from defective combat earplugs and so-called forever chemicals.

While that’s a gargantuan sum, 3M’s compensation committee makes clear in its newly filed proxy statement that it is pleased with his handiwork, writing that he “drove actions to reduce risk and uncertainty through reduced exposure to litigation and regulatory risk.”