MLA Places Former Yum! Brands, Smoothie King Executive Michael Sukenik as the New General Counsel for BISSELL Homecare, Inc.

Hanover, MD (April 30, 2020) — Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, today announced the placement of Michael “Misha” Sukenik as vice president – general counsel and secretary at BISSELL Homecare, Inc. in Grand Rapids. The search was led by Michael Sachs, partner, and Brandyne Russell, managing director, in MLA’s In-House Counsel Recruiting group, both based in Chicago.

BISSELL Homecare, Inc. is a global, privately owned, home and floor care consumer products corporation that develops, engineers, markets, and sells deep-cleaning machines, hard floor, carpet and steam cleaners, air purifiers, cleaning and sanitizing formulas, pet care and pet hair tools, and more. BISSELL is the brand and market share floorcare leader in North America and fastest growing floorcare brand globally. The company was founded in 1876 when Melville R. Bissell invented and patented a one-of-a-kind sweeper, and now distributes its smart-enabled devices and appliances across six continents.

Misha joined BISSELL in early March of this year, and immediately went to work guiding the company through the COVID-19 predicament and all related impacts.  In his new role, Misha oversees all legal matters and serves as the primary legal advisor to BISSELL’s senior management and Board. As general counsel, he is responsible for risk management and advising on cross-border transactional and regulatory matters; negotiating a broad range of complex commercial relationships; formulating and executing the patent, IP and IoT strategy; handling marketing, advertising and privacy compliance; and providing advice and counsel on all other legal issues facing the company.

“Misha is a decisive, solutions-oriented and people-focused leader who will fit in extremely well with the positive, energetic and high-growth culture that BISSELL has created over more than 140 years in business,” said Michael Sachs. “We are very excited to see the amazing things that they will be able to accomplish together.”

Before joining BISSELL, Misha spent more than a decade in corporate, private and government practice. He most recently served as general counsel and corporate secretary for Smoothie King with oversight of enterprise risk, compliance, corporate governance, data privacy, M&A and regulatory affairs. Prior to Smoothie King, he was global legal director and chief legal officer LatAmC for Yum! Brands, where he served as the global legal director for Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Pizza Hut across 120 countries. Misha previously practiced law at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and clerked for the Honorable Judge M. Rendell on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Misha earned his J.D. from The University of Chicago Law School and his B.A. from Northwestern University.