US medical device giant Medtronic has lined up Michelle Quinn as its next general counsel, replacing Ivan Fong, who is retiring this month.

Quinn joins from medtech peer Becton Dickinson (BD), where she was also GC. She will take on responsibility for all legal matters at Medtronic.

Medtronic is an American-Irish medtech business, with its operational headquarters based in Minneapolis. The company makes a range of medical devices, including advanced surgical tech, cardiac rhythm equipment and diabetes, neurological and respiratory products, among others.

Quinn arrives after six-and-a-half years at BD, having become GC in April 2023. She originally joined as chief compliance officer, before becoming deputy GC in February 2022. Prior to that, Quinn spent four years at Novartis’s now spun-out generics unit Sandoz, where latterly she was GC for its North America business.

She also had stints at Catalent Pharma Solutions as associate GC and IP and regulatory counsel for North America at legacy French food business Groupe Soparind Bongrain (now Group Savencia). She started her legal career in private practice at Morgan Lewis & Bockius as a litigation associate.

On her appointment as GC at BD in 2023, the company’s CEO Tom Pollen said: “Michelle’s experience leading legal functions in a variety of healthcare companies has and will continue to benefit BD, our associates, the patients we serve and our shareholders through her focus on advancing the company’s business strategies and governance initiatives.”

Fong, meanwhile, will retire on 21 July after three-and-a-half years at the helm of Medtronic’s legal team, having joined from 3M where he spent close to a decade as GC and later chief legal and policy officer.

He also had spells as GC at the US Department of Homeland Security during the Obama administration, CLO at Cardinal Health and GC at GE Vendor Financial Services, having also been a senior counsel in GE’s e-commerce and IT division.

His first role outside of private practice was at the US Department of Justice as a deputy associate Attorney General. He started his career at Covington & Burling in 1990, becoming a partner in 1995.

Fong replaced Brad Lerman as Medtronic’s GC, who retired in 2022 before being lured out of retirement to become CLO at Starbucks. Lerman in June announced he would be retiring again when he leaves Starbucks once a successor is hired.