Ivan Fong
Retired Executive Vice President,
General Counsel and Secretary
Medtronic
Ivan Fong was the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Medtronic and a member of the Medtronic Executive Committee from February 2022 until his retirement in July 2025. In that role he led the global legal, compliance, government affairs, and health economics, policy, and reimbursement teams and served as corporate secretary to the Medtronic Board of Directors.
Ivan brings extensive experience as a corporate general counsel and trusted advisor, partnering to provide strategic and practical solutions to support business growth and help mitigate enterprise risks. Recognized as one of “America’s 50 Outstanding General Counsel” and one of the “Twenty Most Influential General Counsel” by the National Law Journal, he has a track record of guiding CEOs, business leaders, and boards through complex legal and policy issues; building and leading high-performing, high-trust teams; and driving inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.
Prior to joining Medtronic in 2022, Ivan was Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Policy Officer and Secretary of 3M. Under Ivan’s leadership, 3M’s legal department was named Best Legal Department / Legal Department of the Year by the American Lawyer. Prior to joining 3M in 2012, Ivan served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Cardinal Health; Senior Vice President and General Counsel of GE Vendor Financial Services; and Senior Counsel, E-Commerce and IT of General Electric. While at GE, he also served on the board of the Pro Bono Partnership.
Ivan also previously served as Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, receiving recognition from the Attorney General for his work to help establish a pro bono program for DOJ attorneys. He was also a partner with the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP, where he served as vice chair of the Pro Bono and Public Service Committee. He began his legal career as a law clerk to Judge Abner J. Mikva of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ivan is a member of the board of directors of Cboe Global Markets, a leading provider of global market infrastructure and trading solutions and products. He also serves on the Council of the American Law Institute and on the boards of the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity and the Center for AI and Digital Policy. He previously chaired the board of Equal Justice Works, a national nonprofit that launches recent law school graduates in public interest careers, and was a trustee of the Minnesota Public Radio | American Public Media Group.
Ivan received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering and chemical engineering practice from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; his J.D. with distinction from Stanford Law School, where he was president of the Stanford Law Review; and a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from the University of Oxford, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.
Highlights from Medtronic’s Pro Bono Program
Consistent with Tenet 6 of the Medtronic Mission “[t]o maintain good citizenship as a company,” the Medtronic Legal Department has steadily increased its participation in pro bono work, and in 2024 expanded its Pro Bono Committee to support the provision of essential pro bono legal services to underserved individuals and organizations. The Medtronic Pro Bono Committee is made up of 20 members from the legal department, including lawyers and legal staff.
Through Ivan’s leadership as General Counsel and his active participation in the Committee, Medtronic substantially increased the hours legal employees spend on pro bono work and expanded the reach of that work beyond the U.S. This expansion occurred in large part because of newly formed partnerships with organizations and law firms that offer virtual pro bono events available globally.
Engaging in pro bono legal services, Medtronic professionals can refine their skills, explore new areas of law, collaborate with colleagues and outside counsel, experience personal fulfillment from helping others, and become more involved in their communities. The subject matter of Medtronic’s pro bono work is broad and includes work for veterans, emergency responders, children and families, people who have experienced domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness, and more.
In Fiscal Year 2025, the Medtronic Pro Bono Program included 67 volunteers providing more than 900 hours of service across more than 20 events. Over the last year, the Program expanded participation and engagement to include global colleagues and non-licensed legal professionals.
Recent pro bono events include:
Citizenship Clinic
The Medtronic Pro Bono Committee and Immigration Solutions Team partnered with Fredrikson & Byron*† to host a naturalization clinic at the International Institute of Minnesota. Medtronic employees assisted in completing 20 citizenship applications for aspiring new U.S. citizens from Colombia, Ethiopia, Mexico, Liberia, and more.
Immigration Clinic
Medtronic Legal team members participated in a virtual immigration clinic hosted in collaboration with DLA Piper*† and Ayuda. Volunteers conducted detailed intake interviews with individuals seeking immigration relief under humanitarian categories such as U-visas, T-visas, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
Justice in Action “Sprint”
The Justice in Action “Sprint” is a recurring event with Baker McKenzie*† aimed at uniting volunteers from various organizations around the globe to collaborate on impactful pro bono initiatives. Medtronic volunteers addressed critical issues, such as violence against children, youth advocacy, homelessness among youth, and children’s rights.
Keep Families United
In partnership with Together & Free, Medtronic participated in a virtual clinic focused on families eligible for protection under the Ms. L. v. ICE class-action settlement. During a single day, Medtronic volunteers prepared 10 comprehensive application packets, including I-131s, G-1145s, and humanitarian cover letters, helping 38 individuals access legal pathways to stay together in the U.S.
Minnesota Legal Advice Clinic
Medtronic collaborated with the ABA Free Legal Help program during three separate events, offering valuable support to clients on a range of topics, including landlord/tenant disputes, child support, custody issues, and eviction cases.
Voting Rights Restoration Clinic
Medtronic conducted research to ensure that applicants were pre-screened for eligibility before being referred to a motion-filing program to terminate outstanding fines and fees or convert them to community service hours.
Wills for Heroes Minnesota
The Minnesota Wills for Heroes program, of which Medtronic has participated, has served 18,783 Minnesota heroes to date, providing first responders with free legal services preparing basic estate planning documents.
* denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® signatory
** denotes a Corporate Pro Bono Challenge® signatory
† denotes a Law Firm Pro Bono Project® member
