Robert Davis joined Glaukos Corp. (NYSE: GKOS) in June 2015, a month before the device company went public. He’s been an unconventional lawyer, serving as general counsel and senior vice president, and quickly established himself with the executive management team.
The winner of the Business Journal’s eighth annual General Counsel Awards in the Public Company category said that “to be a good lawyer, you have to be a good businessperson, especially an in-house lawyer.”
The awards dinner was held on Nov. 8 at Hotel Irvine (see other profiles, pages 1, 4, 6 and 10).
Business Hat
Davis graduated cum laude from Brigham Young University in Utah in 1994 and got his start in private legal practice with law firms Morrison & Foerster LLP and O’Melveny & Myers LLP. He joined Irvine-based device company Meade Instruments Corp. in 1999.
“I went over [to Meade] as a lawyer and [vice president] of corporate development,” he said. The “dual-capacity” function steered him toward the business side of things, and he eventually took over the company’s entire sales operations.
But Davis said he was more attracted to “the legal work” and left in 2008 to serve as general counsel at Targus Group International Inc., which makes and distributes cases and accessories for mobile electronic devices.
“It is easy for a lawyer to sit in an ivory tower and give advice on what risks to avoid, but I try to bring that business-minded approach to Glaukos,” he said.
Davis directed all legal affairs for Glaukos during a period of dramatic growth—16 consecutive quarters of more than 40% year-over-year increases in net sales. He played a key role in helping the company expand, setting up 14 international subsidiaries and relocating corporate headquarters to a new 80,000-square-foot building in San Clemente, ballooning its presence from a former 17,000-square-foot base. The medical device maker has tripled headcount since it went public, with nearly 400 employees worldwide. Its legal team has been expanded to three, including Davis.
He said he typically gets up at 5:15 a.m.—“I try to go out and do a little mountain biking a couple times a week.”
Community Involvement
Despite having a busy work life, Davis spends over 20 hours a week as senior administrative and ecclesiastical leader of the Laguna Niguel California Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He oversees eight congregations with over 4,000 members.
He said faith plays prominently in his life. He met his wife, Tiffany, through an intensive class to learn Swedish in preparation for a mission trip to Sweden. Davis served for 2 years, Tiffany for 18 months. The two met again at a mission trip reunion.
“We went out to dinner with some friends, and it started from there—30 years later, four children later,” he said.
They have two boys and two girls.
“I could not ask for anyone who’s been more supportive, more encouraging, having more wisdom and common sense,” said Davis in an interview, expressing appreciation for Tiffany giving up a career in fashion design to take on that role.
The family enjoys hiking and traveling, Sweden remaining a magnet—”We were just there a month ago.” Davis, who listens to Swedish radio a couple of times a week, said they’ll soon host their annual Swedish Santa Lucia party.
Work Ethic
His father was a software engineer, his mother a stay-at-home mom.
Davis said that despite the fact that he and his younger sister were adopted, he never felt the need to seek out his biological parents.
“My parents were very open about the fact that I was adopted, and [my mother] would tell me, ‘If you ever want to get in touch with them, we wouldn’t hold you back,’ [but] I just felt an immense amount of loyalty and love to them. They gave me no reason to look elsewhere. I felt really lucky. I had parents who really wanted me.”
Davis attributed his work ethic to his adoptive parents. He started his own business at age 11 at his mother’s suggestion, doing yard work for neighbors. “I did that through high school, and it grew into a business,” he said. He maintained a dozen yards.
“I believe hard work and always doing what’s right will lead to happiness and ultimately success,” Davis said. “Lawyers get faced with a lot of ethical questions, and just always doing what’s right is the way you can act in the best interest of your stakeholders and shareholders and sleep well at night.”
