At his core, Matt Kaufman is a coach. As a senior partner at The Mullings Group (TMG), the medtech recruitment powerhouse, he has spent the last 23 years helping companies build high-performing teams while guiding executives toward roles that are both challenging and fulfilling.
The keys to his success? Curiosity, transparency, and a natural ability to connect at a genuine level. “In those rare times that a placement goes wrong, it’s usually because the individual or the client withheld a key piece of information because they didn’t trust you,” Kaufman explained. “You didn’t build the rapport.”
Building trust
That’s why, in his first conversations with individuals, Kaufman focuses less on the job and more on the person. He asks about their families, hobbies, college days, even favorite vacation spots. He is aided in this effort by his superpower: “No matter who I’m talking to, within five minutes I can find something we can connect on,” he said. A self-described generalist, Kaufman is well traveled, well read, and has a good memory for detail, all of which fuel his ability to find common ground.
That initial connection quickly becomes a wide-ranging, two-way conversation. Raised in a family where everything was always out in the open, Kaufman doesn’t hesitate to share personal information. “I tell them all kinds of things about me to help them feel comfortable opening up,” he explained. The conversation that ensues helps him guide and advise the individual as well as evaluate alignment and fit. “I listen for what matters to them, what motivates and lights them up, and any areas of sensitivity,” he said.
When it’s finally time to discuss the business at hand, Kaufman simply lays out everything he knows about the opportunity. “I don’t dance around the facts or conceal information,” he said. “It is what it is.”
His candor pays off. “Because I have been completely transparent, they are too and will open up about concerns they might otherwise withhold: a pending bonus, another offer on the table, or family obligations that tie them to a certain geography,” he said. That information is critical and helps him guide both individual and client toward a match that works long-term.
An intuitive match
For Kaufman, experience gets an individual in the door—but chemistry is what makes the fit. Often, he recommends people who don’t check every box. “I tell the company what I love about the person but also where they should ask questions and explore,” he said. “If it doesn’t work out, that’s fine. But so many of our best placements involved people who weren’t perfect on paper but had something intangible that made me feel it was worth taking a risk,” he said. “It happens all the time.”
Often, that intangible is emotional intelligence, or EQ—an attribute Kaufman considers just as important as technical skill. “EQ shows up in how a person responds to pressure, how they build and motivate teams, and how they interact with physicians and board members,” he said. To him, every moment in the hiring process reveals something: from the first hello in the parking lot to a casual meal afterward at a nearby restaurant. “Every moment is the interview,” Kaufman reminds individuals. “It doesn’t end until you get home.”
Getting his start
Kaufman was born in Cleveland, Ohio. When he was six, his family moved to Florida, and he has lived there ever since. “I’ve lived in Florida for 90% of my life, but I still feel like a Midwesterner,” he said. Both parents worked long hours in the retail clothing industry, and Kaufman, who also has a brother and sister, recalls that the family often didn’t eat dinner until 9 or 10 at night.
In school, Kaufman was passionate about sports, but less so about studying. He was also intensely curious about people, exceptionally talkative—and extremely short. “I didn’t grow until I was 19,” he said. “I had to see an endocrinologist, which gave me a huge appreciation for the impact of medical care and innovation,” he said.
The first in his family to graduate from college, Kaufman worked in accounting and sales before searching for something more fulfilling. He met with a recruiter named Amy who, as it turned out, was also from Cleveland. They clicked, and she convinced her boss to hire—rather than place—him. “Back then, everyone in the office could hear your calls, so when she called to extend the offer, she lied and said she was from AT&T,” Kaufman laughed. Over time, their professional connection became a personal one. “So, I got into the field of recruiting by accident—and then I married the best woman on the planet because of it,” he said.
Learning and giving back
Determined to understand more about executive compensation and business building, Kaufman went back to school at night. This time, he applied himself—earning an MBA and then a doctorate in business. His dissertation explored a cause close to his heart: helping first-generation college students launch careers. ‘It’s really hard when you have no mentor, no one to help you build a résumé, interview, or weigh a job offer,’ he said. Today, he continues that work as a board member for Diversity by Doing, an initiative founded by Fogarty Innovation and Stanford Biodesign that works to expand opportunities in the health technology innovation ecosystem.
Finding a purpose at TMG
Four years into his career, Kaufman made the move to Mullings, drawn by the firm’s growth and its focus on the medtech industry. “I decided that if I’m going to help build companies, I want to do it in a space with real impact,” he said. “Based on my own experience, I wanted to contribute in some way to helping patients. I genuinely think that what the medtech industry does is noble and makes an enormous difference in people’s lives.”
He remains exceptionally grateful to the recruiter who first pointed him to Mullings, and to company founder Joe Mullings, who gave him a chance. “I don’t even know how to put into words all he’s done for me as a person and a professional,” Kaufman said. “This place means everything to me.”
Coaching on and off the field
Outside the office, Kaufman’s favorite pastime has always been coaching kids’ sports. He coached for 38 years—including two decades before he had children of his own—and his accomplishments include running a citywide flag football league for 1,500 kids. He only recently ended his formal coaching career and is now focused on other pursuits, including walking his dog and launching TMG’s popular podcast, The Family Business, which explores how family and careers intertwine. It’s a natural extension of his own life, where he’s seen firsthand how deeply family dynamics shape professional choices.
In truth, Kaufman has never really stopped coaching. Whether on the field, behind a podcast mic, or in a personal conversation, he is still guiding people toward their potential—and helping medtech teams thrive in the process. It’s a winning combination all around.