
Hawkins
Cardiac device maker Thoratec Corp. (NSDQ:THOR) appointed former Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) CEO William Hawkins to its board of directors.
The current Immucor Inc. (NSDQ:BLUD) CEO brings more than 30 years of med-tech experience with him to the Pleasanton, Calif.-based boardroom.
"Thoratec has a rich history of innovation and leadership in the mechanical circulatory support industry, and I look forward to participating in the company’s mission of driving greater adoption of its therapies, in order to deliver meaningful benefits to patients worldwide," Hawkins said in prepared remarks. His appointment will go into effect Jan. 1, 2012.
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It’s been an exciting few months for Hawkins, who was named as an "entrepreneur in residence" by the FDA in October. He stepped down as CEO of Medtronic, the world’s largest pure-play medical device maker, in April. In October he accepted the top spot at Immucor, which systems for detection and identification of blood properties prior to transfusion.
The industry veteran may able to offer some sage advice to Thoratec, which could be primed for a buyout by some of the biggest names in the business, according to major stockholder Oracle Investment Management.
The Pleasanton, Calif.-based device maker needs a more seasoned company to help it push past a period of sluggish growth, meaning that putting the cardiac assist device firm up for auction is best for shareholders, Oracle founder Larry Feinberg wrote in a letter to Thoratec’s board of directors.
Thoratec would be a great fit for implantable defibrillator makers such as Boston Scientific Corp. (NYSE:BSX), Medtronic Inc. (NYSE:MDT) and St. Jude Medical Inc. (NYSE:STJ), and could fetch as much as $60 per share at auction, Feinberg told Bloomberg – which would make the deal worth a whopping $3.6 billion.

Here’s the latest personnel changes from medical device, diagnostics and life science companies around the nation. For more recent hirings and firings, check out MassDevice’s compilation of the latest personnel moves.
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iChip designer LifeNexus appoints William Jacobs as chairman of the board of directors and adds Robert Titsch to the board. Read more
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