What is HCL?
Healthcare Leaders (HCL), curated by WittKieffer, is an exclusive leadership community and events platform, convening operators, innovators, investors, advisors, and policymakers shaping the future of healthcare and life sciences.
HCL brings together senior leaders through a series of invitation-only gatherings designed to foster meaningful relationships and candid dialogue. Signature annual events include:
HCL’s flagship annual two-day conference in Dallas each fall
An exclusive rooftop cocktail reception held annually ahead of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco in January
Regional networking dinners and executive forums hosted in key markets across the country throughout the year
WHO ATTENDS?
HCL convenes the leaders who are shaping what's next from across the healthcare ecosystem:
Venture capital, growth equity, and private equity investors and operating partners
CEOs, board members, and operators
Healthcare services, health information, digital health, and pharma services leaders
Advisors, policymakers, and innovators
THE EVOLUTION OF HEALTHCARE LEADERS
For nearly 25 years, HCL has brought together investors, operators, and innovators to exchange ideas, build trusted relationships, and advance healthcare.
Conference Founded
Founded by Diane Daych and Mike Aspinwall.
SV Life Sciences
Became Conference Host.
Ross & Company
Assumed stewardship of HCL.
WittKieffer
Joined forces with Ross & Company, further expanding the reach of HCL.
Founded in 2003 by Diane Daych and Mike Aspinwall of Conning Capital/Talcott Partners, Healthcare Leaders emerged as a high‑quality alternative to the large investment‑bank conferences of the time. From the outset, the gathering was intentionally designed as an exclusive environment grounded in meaningful dialogue and relationships - principles that continue to define HCL today.
Over the years, HCL has been shaped by dedicated stewards: in 2007, SV Life Sciences became Conference Host, and in 2017, Ross & Company assumed stewardship of HCL, expanding its reach and deepening its influence among leading healthcare investors and operators.
Larry Ross—now a Senior Partner with WittKieffer — continues to serve as Chair of HCL and remains instrumental in guiding its direction. His long‑standing involvement reinforces the continuity of concept, focus, and values that have shaped HCL since its inception.
Larry Ross
Chair, Healthcare Leaders
Senior Partner, WittKieffer
Today, that stewardship continues under WittKieffer, carrying forward HCL’s two‑decade legacy while positioning the platform for its next chapter. Under WittKieffer, HCL will broaden its impact across the firm’s Quality of Life Ecosystem — connecting healthcare, academia, and science. HCL will convene leaders across geographies and market segments who are united by purpose and committed to improving the world, while preserving the principles that have anchored HCL since its earliest days.
ABOUT WITTKIEFFER
Built for Investor-Backed Healthcare. Focused on Leadership.
WittKieffer is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm focused exclusively on healthcare, life sciences, and education. Our Investor-Backed Healthcare Practice partners with leading venture capital, growth equity, and private equity firms—as well as the executives who lead their portfolio companies.
We help organizations recruit exceptional leaders, place experienced interim and on-demand executives, and provide assessment and advisory services to boards and management teams as they navigate growth and transformation.
As the 10th largest executive search firm in the United States and the largest single-vertical healthcare specialist recruiter globally, WittKieffer combines deep healthcare expertise with one of the industry's broadest leadership networks. Our integrated leadership solutions — including Executive Search, Interim Leadership, and Leadership Advisory — support clients across every stage of the investment lifecycle.