Pavlovic posted the news on LinkedIn: “I’m excited to share that I’ve recently been named chief regulatory officer for Medtronic. Medtronic products touch the lives of 74 million patients per year, and I’m honored to continue to support our global mission.”
According to her LinkedIn profile, Pavlovic joined Medtronic as VP of regulatory strategy in July 2021. She held that role until April 2023, when she became VP of global regulatory affairs, strategy and policy. Pavlovic was a partner at law firms Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Hogan Lovells after starting her career as an attorney at Pepper Hamilton in 2003.
As Medtronic’s chief regulatory officer, Pavlovic will lead regulatory affairs and collaborate with the regulatory leaders of Medtronic’s operating units, global region and Greater China to guide the overall direction of regulatory affairs for the company. She and her team also guide the development of regulatory strategies for products like AI-enabled technology and connected devices. Pavlovic also leads the company’s external global regulatory policy development work.
“Our impressive team of regulatory professionals around the world are critical to assuring that our products obtain and maintain marketing authorization globally,” Pavlovic added. “I feel fortunate to work with such a talented group of individuals, working tirelessly to assure that we meet the important expectations of our regulators, contributing meaningfully to the future of regulation around the world, and, most importantly, ensuring that patients get timely access to innovative and life-saving technology because they are at the heart of everything we do.”
In response to questions from MassDevice, Medtronic said the promotion is effective immediately.
“Having Yarmela as our chief regulatory officer allows for an even stronger focus on regulatory affairs at Medtronic, further ensuring that millions of patients have access to safe and effective medical devices,” Medtronic spokesperson Sara Thatcher emailed.
It appears to be the first time that Medtronic has had a C-level executive focused solely on regulatory affairs since 2009, when Dr. Susan Alpert served as chief regulatory officer under former CEO Bill Hawkins.
In August 2009, Medtronic appointed Dr. Rick Kuntz to the position of chief scientific, clinical and regulatory officer, with Alpert serving as SVP of global regulatory affairs. Alpert retired from Medtronic in 2011.
Dr. Laura Mauri succeeded Kuntz in 2022 as chief scientific, medical and regulatory officer. Mauri has updated her job title to chief scientific and medical officer on LinkedIn, where she congratulated Pavlovic on the promotion.
“Every day, Yarmela and the entire regulatory function at Medtronic work tirelessly in 150 countries around the world to give us our critical license to operate,” Mauri wrote. “This means we’re able to continue to put our tens of millions of patients at the forefront by providing life-changing technologies treating more than 70 conditions. Congratulations, Yarmela!”
Medtronic is the world’s largest medical device manufacturer, according to Medical Design & Outsourcing‘s annual Medtech Big 100 ranking by revenue.
— Managing Editor Jim Hammerand contributed to this report.