Sandra Nowak – Solventum

Sandra Nowak, chief intellectual property counsel for Solventum, is stepping into a career-defining role at the forefront of one of the most significant healthcare business transformations in recent years. Known for her approachable nature and collaborative leadership style, Nowak’s journey from managing 3M’s vast IP portfolio to leading Solventum’s strategic IP efforts is a testament to her expertise, resilience and ability to navigate complex transitions.

As 3M spins off its healthcare business into a standalone $9 billion company, Solventum will emerge with a clear mission: solving healthcare’s greatest challenges with momentum. Nowak is a key architect in shaping that mission.

Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Solventum is a publicly traded, dynamic and innovative organization that provides cutting-edge solutions in chemical processing, solvent recycling, and waste management. Leveraging advanced technologies, Solventum specializes in creating efficient and sustainable systems for industries requiring high-purity solvents and environmental compliance.

The company prides itself on its commitment to reducing environmental impact. It offers customized recycling programs that help clients lower costs and achieve green certifications. Solventum’s expertise spans multiple sectors, including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and research laboratories, positioning it as a trusted partner for organizations aiming to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability.

Spinning and winning

For the past two years, Nowak has lived at the intersection of innovation and reinvention. At 3M, she was responsible for the company’s entire spectrum of IP activities—patent preparation and prosecution, trademark filings, licensing agreements, copyright issues, and navigating open-source AI developments. Her team was crucial in supporting product launches and protecting products across global markets. This work, already demanding, was compounded by the monumental task of preparing 3M’s healthcare division for its independence. For Nowak, balancing these responsibilities was a challenge she embraced, reflecting her adaptability and her ability to manage high-stakes projects with precision and grace.

The scale of the spin-off’s IP demands was immense. Nowak oversaw the transfer of roughly 14,000 IP assets, including patents and trademarks, across more than 140 countries. This process required meticulous disentanglement of shared IP, ensuring 3M and Solventum could succeed independently. Each decision involved deep collaboration with teams worldwide and a nuanced understanding of regulatory landscapes. From securing a new company name and stock ticker to clearing branding and messaging for 18 different product classes globally, Nowak’s work ensured that Solventum launched with a strong and secure identity. Even the most minor details, such as ensuring brand names and taglines translated effectively across jurisdictions, were handled with care and expertise.

Nowak’s role during this transition wasn’t just about safeguarding the past but preparing for the future. Solventum’s formation offers the rare opportunity to build a company from the ground up. Nowak’s strategic role as Chief IP Counsel involves evaluating existing policies and processes while crafting new ones that align with the company’s vision and ambitions. She will lead a global team of 26 experts, driving efforts to create, defend, enforce, and protect Solventum’s intellectual property. For Nowak, this is more than a role—it’s a chance to lay the foundation for a healthcare company that seeks to make a lasting impact on the world.

Effective and protective

What makes Nowak uniquely suited for this challenge is her openness to change and her ability to lead through uncertainty. She describes herself as someone who thrives on variety and the opportunity to learn something new every day. These traits have been crucial during the transition, as she worked not only with internal teams but also with external stakeholders like the SEC, which showed particular interest in Solventum’s IP strategy. Her leadership style—rooted in collaboration and valuing input from all levels of the organization—has fostered an environment where innovation and adaptability flourish.

Solventum, whose name encapsulates the spirit of “solving with momentum,” represents a focused approach to healthcare innovation. The decision to spin off 3M’s healthcare division was driven by the desire to create a company solely dedicated to improving and saving lives. By narrowing its focus, Solventum aims to deliver world-class healthcare solutions that address some of the industry’s most pressing challenges. Nowak’s work ensures that the company is positioned for success and equipped to protect and leverage its innovations in a competitive global market.

Nowak’s passion for her work extends beyond her corporate responsibilities. She has testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the importance of diversity in inventorship, advocating for underrepresented groups in innovation. As chair of a subcommittee for the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) and a board member for the National Inventors Hall of Fame, she dedicates her time to recognizing and amplifying diverse voices in the innovation ecosystem. These roles reflect her deep commitment to making the world of IP more inclusive and ensuring that groundbreaking contributions are celebrated and protected.

Looking back on the past two years, Nowak views the challenges and opportunities of the spin-off as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The demands were extraordinary, requiring her to maintain her full slate of responsibilities at 3M while preparing Solventum for its debut as an independent entity. Yet, she approached each hurdle with determination and a forward-thinking mindset, knowing that her work would shape the future of healthcare innovation.

As Solventum heads into its second year of operation, Nowak’s contributions stand as a cornerstone of the company’s foundation. Her ability to balance the practical demands of IP management with the strategic vision required to build something new has made her an invaluable leader during this transition. For Nowak, the journey is not just about launching a company; it’s about creating a legacy—one that improves lives, drives innovation, and solves challenges with the momentum to keep moving forward.