Former Johnson & Johnson EVP and MedTech Worldwide Chair Ashley McEvoy [Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson]
From hirings and firings to promotions, resignations and surprising shake-ups, these were the most important medtech leadership changes of the year.
By Associate Editor Sean Whooley and Managing Editor Jim Hammerand
The leadership change at Johnson & Johnson MedTech was a surprising shift that ended up as the year’s biggest medtech leadership change of 2023.
In October, J&J EVP and J&J MedTech Worldwide Chair Ashley McEvoy announced her resignation from the world’s second-largest device manufacturer. She’s staying on into the first quarter of 2024 while her successor, Tim Schmid, gets settled into his new role.
Schmid, a 30-year J&J vet who was most recently company group chair of J&J MedTech Asia Pacific, said he’s “committed to building even further on the progress we’ve already made.”
“While I recognize that we have more work to do, I’m focused on further advancing our impact and our competitiveness,” he said in the final weeks of 2023. “Our goal is clear. It is to be No. 1 or No. 2 in every market that we compete.”
Johnson & Johnson EVP and J&J MedTech Worldwide Chair Tim Schmid [Photo courtesy of Johnson & Johnson]
Related: Who is Tim Schmid, Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s new leader?
Here are more of the top medtech personnel moves of 2023, starting with the world’s largest device manufacturer.
Movement in and out of Medtronic
There has been plenty of change at Medtronic. Sometime around the beginning of 2023, Medtronic promoted Surgical Robotics President Mike Marinaro to EVP and president of the new Surgical operating unit. Medtronic declined to say when, exactly, the change took effect, as it made the change without a public announcement while consolidating its surgical robotics and more traditional surgical devices into a single operating unit.
Medtronic SVP and Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Ken Washington [Photo courtesy of Medtronic]
In the C-suite, Medtronic hired Scott Cundy as chief quality officer. Cundy returned to Medtronic after nearly 13 years at Danaher. Medtronic also created the new role of chief technology and innovation officer and hired Ken Washington to fill it. Formerly chief technology officer at Ford, Washington most recently served as VP and GM of consumer robotics at Amazon.
Related: AI basics from Medtronic Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Ken Washington
Medtronic also hired Paolo Di Vincenzo as the president of its neuromodulation business. Di Vincenzo joined from Smith+Nephew, where he served as SVP and GM of U.S. advanced wound management.
Medtronic departures included EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer Carol Surface, who was recruited by Apple to serve as its first chief people officer. Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Services President Julie Brewer left to become Baxter’s president of patient support systems, global surgical solutions and care communications. And Medtronic Spine & Biologics VP and GM Carlton Weatherby joined Inspire Medical as chief strategy officer.
Zimmer Biomet CEO leaves to lead 3M HealthCare spinoff
Former Zimmer Biomet CEO Bryan Hanson [Photo courtesy of Zimmer Biomet]
Bryan Hanson resigned as Zimmer Biomet’s president and CEO to become CEO at Solventum, 3M’s soon-to-be-completed healthcare business spinoff. This move set in motion a series of executive changes at both companies and across medtech.
Zimmer Biomet promoted Chief Operating Officer Ivan Tornos to president and CEO and made other leadership changes. 3M, meanwhile, hired Insulet CFO Wayde McMillan to lead the spinoff’s financial operations, while 3M HealthCare President Jim Lavers departed to make way for Hanson.
Intuitive Surgical’s new president
Intuitive Surgical promoted Dave Rosa to president, leading the product, digital, quality, regulatory, supply chain, manufacturing and commercial teams as the surgical robotics developer expands globally. Intuitive also named Bob DeSantis to the new role of EVP and chief strategy and corporate operations officer.
Related: Intuitive’s Dave Rosa offers advice for perseverance and surgical robotics
Recor Medical switches gears
Recor Medical CEO and President Lara Barghout [Photo courtesy of Recor Medical]
Recor Medical — which became the first renal denervation developer to win FDA approval for treating hypertension — started its monumental year by naming Lara Barghout as its new CEO and president to lead global commercialization. The former Siemens Healthineers and Terumo executive succeeded Andrew Weiss, who as Recor CEO since 2013 led the technology’s development, clinical trials and FDA submission.
Related: Recor Medical CEO Lara Barghout on leadership lessons and what she looks for when hiring
New CEO at Silk Road Medical
Silk Road Medical hired Chas McKhann as CEO to replace retired CEO Erica Rogers. McKhann was formerly CEO of Apollo Endosurgery, which Boston Scientific acquired for $615 million in April.
Cordis board chair becomes CEO
Former Spectranetics CEO Scott Drake became executive board chair at Cordis and then took over as CEO, replacing Shar Matin when he stepped down as CEO in November.
Orthofix picks new CEO after terminating trio of execs
After merging with SeaSpine, Orthofix ousted CEO Keith Valentine, CFO John Bostjancic and Chief Legal Officer Patrick Keran, terminating them with cause after an investigation found “repeated inappropriate and offensive conduct.” Orthofix later announced Massimo Calafiore as its new CEO. Calafiore, the former CEO of LimaCorporate, started as Orthofix CEO and president in January 2024 after Enovis completed its acquisition of LimaCorporate.
Distalmotion selects former Zimmer Biomet exec as CEO
Switzerland-based Distalmotion appointed Greg Roche as its CEO as the company continues commercial expansion of its surgical robot. Roche most recently served as CEO of soft tissue robotics company AvateraMedical, and before that was global president of robotics and technology at Zimmer Biomet.
Shockwave Medical hires Abbott exec as CMO
Dr. Nick West [Photo courtesy of Abbott]
Intravascular lithotripsy technology developer Shockwave Medical named Dr. Nick West as its CMO-in-waiting. The former CMO and divisional VP of global medical affairs at Abbott Vascular will take over for Dr. Keith Dawkins in mid-2024.
GE HealthCare hires from Baxter and Amazon
GE HealthCare hired former Amazon executive Dr. Taha Kass-Hout as its first chief technology officer. GE HealthCare also hired Jay Saccaro as SVP and CFO after a 21-year career at Baxter, most recently as CFO. Baxter hired Sysco vet Joel Grade to replace Saccaro as EVP and CFO.
Abbott promotes finance execs
Abbott promoted CFO Robert Funck to EVP of finance and named Philip Boudreau as CFO and SVP of finance.
Boston Scientific replaces chief medical officer
Dr. Ken Stein became Boston Scientific’s chief medical officer, taking over for Dr. Ian Meredith, who retired from the role he held since 2017. Stein joined Boston Scientific in 2009 as SVP and chief medical officer of its Rhythm Management business.
Biosense Webster’s new president
Johnson & Johnson’s Biosense Webster chose Jasmina Brooks as its next president. She succeeds Michael Bodner, who is now the global head of heart recovery for J&J MedTech.
BD elevates Brooke Story
Becton, Dickinson & Co. (BD) Surgery President Brooke Story [Photo courtesy of BD]
Becton, Dickinson & Co. (BD) promoted Brooke Story to president of its Surgery unit. She previously served as president of the Integrated Diagnostic Solutions unit. Story joined BD in 2021 after 15 years at Medtronic, where she led the Pelvic Health and Gastric Therapies business.
Insulet restructures executive team
Insulet shuffled its leadership team to accelerate innovation and commercialization, splitting the role of chief commercial officer into two new leadership positions for the automated insulin delivery technology developer.
Eric Benjamin, who served as EVP of innovation and strategy, became chief product and consumer experience officer (CPXO). Mark Field, previously the group VP of software engineering, took over as chief technology officer.
Insulet EVP and Chief Commercial Officer Bret Christensen left the company and later became CEO and president of DermTech, a noninvasive skin genomics platform developer.
Dexcom hires first chief commercial officer
Dexcom appointed medtech veteran Teri Lawver to the newly created role of chief commercial officer. Lawver spent two decades in leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, spanning the medical device, consumer medtech and pharmaceutical sectors.
LivaNova searches for a new CEO
LivaNova CEO Damien McDonald resigned following several pipeline disappointments, including its Caisson transcatheter mitral valve replacement and a heart failure indication for vagal nerve stimulation. LivaNova Chair William Kozy has served as interim CEO since then. LivaNova has not named a permanent CEO.
iRhythm’s COO resigns
iRhythm Chief Operating Officer Douglas Devine resigned in a move that the company said related to its ongoing “business transformation.” Devine — who previously served as CFO — will remain an executive advisor through July 3, 2024.
CFO leaves Integra Lifesciences
Integra Lifesciences CFO Carrie Anderson left medtech to serve as EVP and CFO of Campbell Soup Co.
Read more on the top personnel moves of 2023 — in the first half and last half of the year — at MassDevice.