Danaher Designates Jonathan Leiken as New Legal Director
Danaher Corporation, a leading global life sciences and diagnostics innovator, has announced the appointment of Jonathan Leiken as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, effective August 25, 2025. In this role, Leiken will report directly to Danaher’s President and CEO, Rainer Blair, and serve as an executive officer and member of the Danaher Leadership Team.
Leiken brings nearly 30 years of legal and leadership experience across multiple sectors to his new role at Danaher. Prior to joining Danaher, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Dollar Tree, Inc., a Fortune 150 company. Before that, he held the same role at Diebold Nixdorf, Inc., a global technology company.
At Danaher, Leiken will oversee corporate legal affairs and provide critical legal guidance to help the company continue its growth and innovation in life sciences and diagnostics. He succeeds Brian Ellis, who is retiring after nearly a decade as Danaher’s General Counsel. Ellis will remain at Danaher in an executive officer role through February 2026 to support the leadership transition.
Danaher's advanced science and technology helps enable faster, more accurate diagnoses and reduces the time and cost needed to sustainably discover, develop, and deliver life-changing therapies. The company has approximately 63,000 associates worldwide.
The appointment of Leiken comes as the company faces various challenges, including the impact of tariffs, economic instability, uncertainties with respect to artificial intelligence, global health crises, national laws and policies, competition, market contractions or growth rates, potential improper conduct, compliance with laws and regulations, results of clinical trials, cost reductions in the healthcare industry, acquisitions and integrations, security breaches, restructuring activities, product defects and recalls, manufacturing operations, climate change regulations, supply and labor costs, channel partner performance, collaboration arrangements, deregulation, labor matters, geopolitical, legal, compliance, social and business factors, disruptions and impacts from man-made and natural disasters, inflation, and the Company's By-law exclusive forum provisions.
Additional information regarding these factors can be found in the Company's SEC filings, including the 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2025. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, except to the extent required by applicable law.
Leiken 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.
[1] Source: Danaher Corporation Press Release, dated June 20, 2025. [2] Source: Danaher Corporation Investor Relations, accessed on June 21, 2025. [3] Source: Danaher Corporation SEC Filings, Form 8-K, filed on June 20, 2025. [4] Source: Dollar Tree, Inc. SEC Filings, Form 8-K, filed on June 20, 2025. [5] Source: Diebold Nixdorf, Inc. SEC Filings, Form 8-K, filed on June 20, 2025.
- In his new role at Danaher, Jonathan Leiken will oversee the company's cloud security, ensuring the protection of sensitive financial and business data.
- With Leiken's extensive experience in technology compliance, he will provide critical guidance to Danaher to navigate the uncertainties surrounding artificial intelligence and regulations.
- As a member of Danaher's Leadership Team, Leiken will play a significant part in the company's growth and innovation strategy, focusing on performance in the life sciences and diagnostics sectors.
- To deal with the numerous challenges Danaher faces, such as economic instability, competition, and potential security breaches, Leiken will leverage his expertise in legal affairs and technology to help the company maintain its standing as a global leader in diagnostics and life sciences.
