Medtronic tapped D. Cameron Findlay, a former deputy secretary of labor, to serve as its general counsel and senior vice president.
Findlay served under former President George W. Bush from 2001-2003. His personal highlights included chairing the E-Government sub-committee on the president’s management council and sitting on a 9/11 task force formed to deal with the economic impact of the terrorist attacks, according to a memo (PDF) he wrote during his tenure as general counsel at Aon Corp. in Chicago.
At Medtronic, Findlay’s duties will include working on a high-profile initiative to develop new standards for transparency in the company’s dealings with physicians, according to chairman and CEO Bill Hawkins.
Findlay’s knowledge of the Beltway ought to be an asset to the company. Medtronic is under heavy scrutiny from Senate investigators regarding its ties to at least two researchers who might have inappropriately concealed financial relationships with Medtronic while running government-funded studies on the effectiveness of the company’s Infuse bone growth products, according to theNew York Times.
Findlay has strong ties to the Republican party, having also served as an adviser to Mitt Romney during the former Massachusetts governor’s run for president in 2008. Findlay served on the board of Romney’s Advisory Committee on the Constitution and the Courts, which counseled Romney on “judicial matters, the separation of powers, and federalism issues,” according to a 2007 press release.
