Danaher Appoints Jonathan Leiken as General Counsel

Rhea-AI Summary

Danaher (NYSE: DHR) has appointed Jonathan Leiken as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, effective August 25, 2025. Leiken, who brings nearly three decades of legal and leadership experience, will report to CEO Rainer Blair and join the Danaher Leadership Team.

Leiken succeeds Brian Ellis, who will retire after nearly 10 years as General Counsel. Ellis will remain with Danaher through February 2026 to support the transition. Prior to joining Danaher, Leiken served as Executive VP and Chief Legal Officer at Dollar Tree and Diebold Nixdorf, and has experience as a federal prosecutor and law firm partner.

Positive

• Smooth leadership transition with outgoing counsel remaining until February 2026
• New General Counsel brings extensive experience from Fortune 150 companies
• Appointment strengthens corporate governance and compliance capabilities

Negative

• Loss of long-term General Counsel with deep institutional knowledge

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR), a leading global life sciences and diagnostics innovator, today announced that Jonathan Leiken has been appointed Senior Vice President and General Counsel, effective August 25, 2025. Mr. Leiken will report directly to President and Chief Executive Officer Rainer Blair and will serve as an executive officer and a member of the Danaher Leadership Team.

Jonathan Leiken succeeds Brian Ellis, who will retire after nearly a decade of distinguished service as Danaher's General Counsel. Mr. Ellis will remain at Danaher in an executive officer role through February 2026 to support the transition.

"Jon brings nearly three decades of legal and leadership experience across multiple sectors," said Rainer Blair. "His strategic mindset, sound judgment and collaborative approach will help strengthen our capabilities as we continue to deliver growth, innovation and results for our customers and their patients, our associates and our shareholders."

"Brian has played a pivotal role in shaping Danaher's transformation into a global science and technology leader," Blair continued. "From helping lead the Fortive, Envista and Veralto transitions to the acquisitions of Cepheid and Cytiva, his impact has been profound. Beyond his legal leadership, Brian has been a passionate advocate for inclusion and a mentor to many across the organization. We are deeply grateful for his contributions and pleased that Brian and Jon will work closely together to ensure a smooth and thoughtful transition."

Prior to joining Danaher, Mr. Leiken served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Dollar Tree, Inc., a Fortune 150 company, where he oversaw corporate governance, ethics and compliance, sustainability and regulatory affairs. Prior to that, he held the same role at Diebold Nixdorf, Inc., a global technology company, where he also led intellectual property, internal audit and ESG functions.

Mr. Leiken's career includes serving as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, where he was recognized for superior performance by multiple federal agencies. He has also been a partner at a global law firm, advising Fortune 500 companies and major institutions on complex litigation, corporate strategy and regulatory matters. He holds a J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Brandeis University.

ABOUT DANAHER
Danaher is a leading global life sciences and diagnostics innovator, committed to accelerating the power of science and technology to improve human health. Our businesses partner closely with customers to solve many of the most important health challenges impacting patients around the world. Danaher's advanced science and technology - and proven ability to innovate - help enable faster, more accurate diagnoses and help reduce the time and cost needed to sustainably discover, develop and deliver life-changing therapies. Focused on scientific excellence, innovation and continuous improvement, our 63,000 associates worldwide help ensure that Danaher is improving quality of life for billions of people today, while setting the foundation for a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow. Explore more at www.danaher.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements in this release that are not strictly historical, including any statements regarding events or developments that we believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those suggested or indicated by such forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. These factors include, among other things: the impact of tariffs and related actions recently implemented by the U.S. and other countries, the impact of our debt obligations on our operations and liquidity, deterioration of or instability in the global economy, the markets we serve and the financial markets, uncertainties with respect to the development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence in our business and products, the impact of global health crises, uncertainties relating to national laws or policies, including laws or policies to protect or promote domestic interests and/or address foreign competition, contractions or growth rates and cyclicality of markets we serve, competition, our ability to develop and successfully market new products and technologies and expand into new markets, the potential for improper conduct by our employees, agents or business partners, our compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including rules relating to off-label marketing and other regulations relating to medical devices and the healthcare industry), the results of our clinical trials and perceptions thereof, our ability to effectively address cost reductions and other changes in the healthcare industry, our ability to successfully identify and consummate appropriate acquisitions and strategic investments, our ability to integrate the businesses we acquire and achieve the anticipated growth, synergies and other benefits of such acquisitions, contingent liabilities and other risks relating to acquisitions, investments, strategic relationships and divestitures (including tax-related and other contingent liabilities relating to past and future IPOs, split-offs or spin-offs), security breaches or other disruptions of our information technology systems or violations of data privacy laws, the impact of our restructuring activities on our ability to grow, risks relating to potential impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets, currency exchange rates, tax audits and changes in our tax rate and income tax liabilities, changes in tax laws applicable to multinational companies, litigation, regulatory proceedings and other contingent liabilities including intellectual property and environmental, health and safety matters, the rights of the United States government with respect to our production capacity in times of national emergency or with respect to intellectual property/production capacity developed using government funding, risks relating to product, service or software defects, product liability and recalls, risks relating to our manufacturing operations, the impact of climate change, legal or regulatory measures to address climate change and other sustainability topics and our ability to address regulatory requirements or stakeholder expectations relating to climate change and other sustainability topics, risks relating to fluctuations in the cost and availability of the supplies we use (including commodities) and labor we need for our operations, our relationships with and the performance of our channel partners, uncertainties relating to collaboration arrangements with third-parties, the impact of deregulation on demand for our products and services, labor matters and our ability to recruit, retain and motivate talented employees, U.S. and non-U.S. economic, political, geopolitical, legal, compliance, social and business factors (including the impact of elections, regulatory changes or uncertainty and military conflicts), disruptions and other impacts relating to man-made and natural disasters, inflation and the impact of our By-law exclusive forum provisions. Additional information regarding the factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements is available in our SEC filings, including our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2025. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release and except to the extent required by applicable law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise.

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SOURCE Danaher Corporation

FAQ

Who is Danaher's new General Counsel and when does he start?

Jonathan Leiken will become Danaher's Senior Vice President and General Counsel, effective August 25, 2025.

What is Jonathan Leiken's previous experience before joining Danaher (DHR)?

Leiken served as Executive VP and Chief Legal Officer at Dollar Tree and Diebold Nixdorf, and was previously a federal prosecutor and law firm partner.

Who is Jonathan Leiken replacing at Danaher (DHR)?

Leiken is replacing Brian Ellis, who is retiring after nearly 10 years as Danaher's General Counsel. Ellis will remain until February 2026 to support the transition.

What are Jonathan Leiken's responsibilities as Danaher's General Counsel?

Leiken will serve as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, reporting to CEO Rainer Blair, and will be an executive officer and member of the Danaher Leadership Team.