Knudsen’s appointment goes into effect on April 1. He succeeds Jon Rennert, who served as CEO for the past 10 years. Rennert will now take over as executive chair of Zoll’s board of directors.
Rennert stepped into the corner office at Zoll, an Asahi Kasei company, in 2016 after serving as president of the company’s largest business unit for eight years. As CEO, he expanded the company’s reach in external defibrillation, led the advancement of solutions for cardiopulmonary and respiratory conditions and broadened the company’s portfolio of products.
Knudsen brings nearly 30 years of experience in the medtech industry, including expertise in business development and corporate strategy. He previously led Chelmsford, Massachusetts-based Zoll’s Corporate Development team for six years. In this role, he held responsibility for investing in strategic relationships and acquiring more than a dozen new technologies.
For the past four years, Kundsen served as president of Zoll Itamar, a division of the company focused on diagnosing sleep disorders. He originally joined the company in 2013. Prior to that, he held leadership positions in international sales, marketing and manufacturing partnerships at Covidien (now part of Medtronic), Aspect Medical Systems and LeMaitre Vascular.
Knudsen takes over as Zoll continues to advance its wide range of products. Those include AEDs, wearable cardioverter defibrillators (WCDs), monitor/defibrillator systems, ventilators and more.
Commentary from the Zoll leaders
Rennert said:
“As a global leader in medical technology, Zoll is continually looking for ways to expand our business and reach more patients in need. Eric has played a unique role in developing our growth strategies and driving our expansion, and I am confident he will lead Zoll to even greater growth and success.”
Knudsen said:
“I am honored to become Zoll’s next CEO. Zoll has a long legacy of innovation and clinical excellence, and today our medical devices, software, and related services are used worldwide to diagnose and treat patients suffering from serious cardiopulmonary and respiratory conditions. We will continue to lead with our commitment to patients and customers and our passion for improving outcomes and helping save lives.”
