So you’re hiring a general counsel (apparently that’s the hot role these days - there are more than a dozen counsel jobs across the Health Talent Exchange today, on top of fifty additional ones that were open in the last year). Most companies wait way too long to hire a GC, but it’s an important step in the scalability of the organization. In fact, many first GC hires spend a lot of time cleaning things up internally, before really setting their sites on the future.

There are many inflection points, but some typical ones include:

• Mounting regulatory complexity
• Selling into enterprises, when contracting becomes a burden
• Moving into “legal as a strategy” vs “legal as a check-the-box”
• Outside counsel spend is $300-500K / year
• Nearing a transaction

Just like with every leader in an organization, not all GCs are cut from the same cloth. It’s important to understand the persona that you need in your company based on the primary challenges that your company is facing. Your first hire in this function are typically “athletes” - wearing many hats, but usually have a specialization based on where the pain-point is for your organization as it scales.

At it’s core, the General Counsel serves as a true partner to the CEO, the entire C-suite and the Board, helping guide the company’s most critical decisions - not just react to them. Below are the personas that we’ve seen most recently in our work.

1. The Operator: Build the legal function and enable the business to scale. These execs embed with the C-Suite and create just enough structure to run everything from contracts, to compliance, to board prep, to employee relations. These individuals can be seasoned or up-start athletes. ‍
2. The Regulator: De-risk the business / revenue model to make sure that the company can operate long term. These execs prioritize regulatory structures, focusing on compliance, privacy, and avoiding external risks. They think primarily about safety of the product and protecting the company. ‍
3. The Dealmaker: Accelerate revenue through smart and creative deal structured. These execs help structure win-win-win arrangements, primarily with customers. They have a business mindset and are strong negotiators who can create repeatable, and unique deals. ‍
4. The Architect: Own financing, M&A, and other strategic initiatives. These execs are deeply involved in all financing-related transactions and are close partners to the CEO and CFO. ‍
5. The Litigator: Protect the company when things go wrong, and anticipate when they might. These execs pressure-test decisions first for any risks and step in quickly when issues escalate. They are cool under pressure and can spot secondary or tertiary effects.

What makes these hires work - or not - often comes down to a simple but overlooked question: does this person match the stage and culture of the company? Experience in a law firm, a health plan, or a startup can all be valuable, but only in the right context. The best outcomes happen when background and moment align - when someone’s experience and operating style mirror the demands of what’s ahead.

• Terry Boch joins Cylinder Health, a virtual digestive health provider, as Chief Executive Officer (Source)
• Brad Swingruber joins meQuilibrium, an employee well-being and performance company, as Chief Executive Officer (Source)
• Ophir Lotan joins MedArrive, an in-home care delivery company, as Chief Executive Officer (Source)
• Dan Reuvers joins Neuronetics, a mental health medical device company, as President and Chief Executive Officer (Source)
• Office Practicum, a pediatric-specialty EHR company, appoints Jennifer Reale as Chief Financial Officer (Source)
• Peloton, a fitness technology company, appoints Saqib Baig as Interim Chief Financial Officer (Source) and Sarah Robb O’Hagan as Chief Content and Member Development Officer (Source)
• LifeMD, a virtual healthcare services company, appoints Atul Kavthekar as Chief Financial Officer, Chris Pisano as Chief Marketing Officer, and Jessica Friedeman as Chief Business Officer (Source)
• CitiusTech, a healthcare technology services and solutions company, appoints Dhaval Shah as Chief Business Officer (Source)
• Archie Mayani joins Evolent, a specialty care management company, as Chief Product Officer (Source)
• Clarissa Riggins joins Experity, an urgent care software company, as Chief Product Officer (Source)
• Dr. Lucienne Ide joins Health Recovery Solutions, a remote patient care company, as Chief Medical Officer (Source)
• Jeffrey Venstrom, M.D. joins ClearNote Health, an early cancer detection company, as Chief Medical Officer (Source)

• Wheel, a virtual care company, is hiring a Chief Compliance Officer (Fractional) and Chief Medical Officer (Fractional)
• Zócalo Health, a primary care company, is hiring a Chief Operating Officer
• Covera Health, a clinical intelligence company, is hiring a Chief Clinical Officer, VP, Commercial (Employers & Brokers), and VP, Commercial (Health Plans)
• Unite Us, a care coordination company, is hiring a Senior Vice President, Marketing
• Hippocratic AI, a safety-focused LLM for healthcare, is hiring a VP, Talent Acquisition, VP of Customer Success - Payors, VP of Customer Success - Providers (South East United States), Head of Hippocratic AI Academy, and Head of Regulatory Affairs
• Headway, a mental health company, is hiring a Senior Counsel, Commercial, and Senior Counsel, Product