Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) CEO Geoff Martha announced that White was leaving at the end of the company’s Q3 earnings call this morning.
“He’s been such an impactful and important leader for the company for a long time,” Martha said of White. “While the friendship will remain strong, we’re definitely going to miss working with him day to day. I want to wish him well. And know this comes from the board of directors and the executive committee and everybody at Medtronic who’s interacted with Bob — just a highly ethical leader and just a good guy, and we wish him well.”
In a statement shared by a spokesperson with MassDevice, the company listed a sampling of White’s numerous accomplishments during his 14-year tenure:
- He successfully led the integration of Medtronic and Covidien in Asia Pacific after the $50 billion M&A deal in 2015, bringing over 5,000 employees together as one team.
- He went on to lead the Minimally Invasive Therapies Group through the COVID-19 pandemic and then most recently led the Medical Surgical Portfolio.
The Medtronic statement said: “We are grateful for Bob’s dedication to Medtronic and our Mission and look forward to seeing his continued impact across the industry.”
Martha also explained plans to end Medtronic’s ventilator business and combine what remains of the Patient Monitoring and Respiratory Interventions operating units (formerly part of the Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, & Renal division) into one business unit called Acute Care & Monitoring (ACM).
ACM will be part of Medtronic’s Medical Surgical portfolio, which also includes the Surgical and Endoscopy operating units.
Medtronic EVP Mike Marinaro will now serve as president of Medtronic’s Medical Surgical portfolio. Marinaro remains president of the Surgical operating unit, a role he assumed last year after the Surgical Robotics unit he led combined with Surgical Innovations.
White explained the importance of corporate culture — and his “Big 5” list of qualities he likes to see in potential hires — during one of our MedtronicTalks podcasts in 2021.
