John Bibb became executive vice president and general counsel of San Antonio, Texas-based KCI, and Acelity Co., in 2011 after working in-house at the medical device company for eight years as its head mergers and acquisitions attorney. He first helped the company buy LifeCell in 2008 for $1.8 billion and recently helped guide the company through its sale to 3M for $6.7 billion.

Bibb spoke to Corporate Counsel on Friday about the role of the legal department in M&A and the attempts to take the company public in 2015 and earlier this year before the sale to 3M. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.