US security and facility services provider Allied Universal has hired Loretta Cecil as its global general counsel, replacing David Buckman who is retiring after almost two decades with the company.

Cecil was most recently GC at healthcare IT business Change Healthcare. At Allied Universal, Cecil will oversee all legal matters and provide strategic legal guidance to the company, reporting directly to CEO and global chairman Steve Jones. She will take up her new role on 17 June.

Irvine, California-based Allied Universal provides security personnel for on-site patrols and other security work. It also owns UK-headquartered international security services business G4S.

Jones said: “Loretta’s experience leading phenomenal legal teams at publicly traded companies and technology focused organisations perfectly lines up with the future I see for Allied Universal. Her leadership and mentorship will help secure our future, and I’m looking forward to working with her as a trusted advisor.”

Cecil just under six years at Change Healthcare before departing in late 2022 when it was acquired by UnitedHealth Group. She has since served as board member at Envision Healthcare. Prior to her time at Change Healthcare, she was GC of McKesson’s technology solutions unit as well as senior vice president for McKesson’s governance relations and public affairs.

She also had spells at NCR Corporation (as GC and chief compliance and ethics officer) and AT&T (as a general attorney), where she started her legal career and worked for more than 17 years. She also spent just under two years working in private practice at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, where she led its telecommunications practice group.

Buckman, meantime, is retiring after 19 years as Allied’s GC, first under its AlliedBarton Security Services brand name and then as Allied Universal following its merger with Universal Protection Services in 2016. Prior to joining Allied in 2005 he was associate GC at uniforms and supplies business Aramark for 11 years, having joined from Morgan Lewis & Bockius where he started his legal career in 1986.

In a statement, the company said: “[Buckman’s] expertise, wisdom and commitment to excellence have left an indelible mark on Allied Universal. He has been instrumental in creating a best-in-class legal team and shaping the legal framework that underpins the company’s operations.”

The company said he will “serve as a resource” for the remainder of the year to support Cecil and ensure a seamless transition.