Brentwood Advisory Group has added longtime healthcare, defense and entrepreneurship executive Chris Littel to its advisory platform, expanding the firm’s bench of operating executives as demand grows for experienced strategic operators capable of guiding companies through scaling, commercialization and operational transition.
Littel brings more than three decades of leadership experience spanning military operations, healthcare innovation, MedTech commercialization, private equity-backed growth companies and entrepreneurship education — a combination that reflects the increasingly interdisciplinary demands facing growth-stage and middle-market businesses.
His addition brings Brentwood Advisory Group’s roster to 23 senior executives and advisors focused on interim leadership, board support, M&A integration, operational improvement and strategic growth initiatives.
The appointment highlights a broader trend in advisory and consulting markets where companies are increasingly turning to operator-led advisory firms rather than traditional consulting organizations for hands-on execution support, particularly in healthcare, technology and industrial sectors undergoing rapid change.
Littel’s career spans both institutional leadership and entrepreneurial commercialization environments.
He spent 20 years in the U.S. Army, including operational assignments in South Korea and the U.S., strategic roles at the Pentagon and NATO, and academic leadership at West Point, where he served as an assistant professor. His military experience included strategic defense work tied to the U.S. Strategic Defense Command and international defense collaboration assignments in Europe.
That operational and strategic background later transitioned into healthcare and life sciences leadership at Johnson & Johnson, where he spent 16 years in roles spanning strategic planning, business development, innovation, global marketing and product development.
During his time at J&J, Littel helped lead multiple product launches that collectively generated more than $800 million in global sales and participated in development of internal innovation initiatives designed to commercialize new clinical technologies.
His later work leading sales and marketing for private equity- and venture-backed MedTech startups reflects another major trend shaping executive advisory demand: the increasing need for leaders who understand both large enterprise operating systems and startup commercialization dynamics.
Many middle-market healthcare and technology businesses now operate in environments where scaling requires expertise across regulation, commercialization, fundraising, M&A integration and product strategy simultaneously — capabilities that are often difficult to build internally.
Littel also founded MedInform, a life sciences consulting firm, and developed deep ties to entrepreneurship education and startup ecosystems through teaching and mentorship roles at Indiana University, Florida Gulf Coast University and North Carolina State University.
At NC State, he created one of the school’s first MBA-level private equity courses, reflecting the growing overlap between operational leadership and financial strategy within modern business education and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
His work as an angel investor and startup advisor further aligns with Brentwood’s positioning around helping founder-led and growth-stage companies navigate operational complexity and strategic expansion.
Brentwood Advisory Group specializes in interim executive leadership, M&A integration, board-level support and operational growth strategy — services seeing rising demand as companies face more volatile financing markets, leadership transitions and increasingly complex growth environments.
The firm’s expansion of its executive bench suggests continued demand for advisors with practical operational backgrounds rather than purely financial or consulting experience.
Littel’s combination of defense leadership, healthcare commercialization expertise, startup operating experience and academic entrepreneurship focus also reflects how executive advisory markets are increasingly valuing leaders capable of bridging sectors traditionally viewed separately.
In particular, healthcare, MedTech and advanced industrial markets are increasingly shaped by overlapping forces including regulatory complexity, private capital involvement, technology commercialization and operational transformation — areas where hybrid operators with both institutional and entrepreneurial experience are becoming especially valuable.
For Brentwood, the addition strengthens its ability to advise clients navigating strategic growth, commercialization, leadership transitions and operational scaling in sectors where execution discipline and cross-functional expertise are increasingly critical competitive differentiators.
