Lifetime of Achievement: Geoff Martha
Medical equipment manufacturing company Medtronic has a goal to ‘contribute to human welfare by application of biomedical engineering’. The company conducts its own research, designing, manufacturing and sales to ‘alleviate pain and restore health’. Medtronic was founded in 1949 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The US$32bn company now has 95,000 employees and works across neuroscience, in surgical robotics and patient monitoring solutions to provide the best healthcare solutions. Geoff Martha is Chairman of the Board Of Directors and CEO.
"I feel truly honoured to be part of a long legacy of strong and inspiring leaders at Medtronic," said Martha after his appointment to Chairman of the Board. He praised Omar Ishrak who had announced his retirement from Chairman of its Board of Directors.
"For the last nine years, Omar has guided us, championed and operationalised our Mission, and re-established our leadership role in medical technology around the world."
Putting patients first with bold leadership
Martha studied Finance from 1989 to 1992 at Penn State University, where he led the Penn State Ice Hockey team as its Captain and learned a lot about leadership.
"It was a part of my identity," Martha said. "I didn't feel fulfilled unless I was playing hockey."
Later in 2016, the University awarded him the Penn State Hockey Distinguished Alumni Award.
Martha then went onto work at GE Healthcare as Managing Director between 2007 and 2011, where he was active in sales management roles. He joined Medtronic in 2011 as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development. Three years later Martha was promoted to Executive Vice President & Vice President, Restorative Therapies Group, then President in 2019 and CEO the following year. By the end of 2020, Martha was Medtronic’s CEO and Chairman Of The Board Of Directors.
In his role, Geoff guides the company in its partnerships, collaborations and acquisitions. Martha also advises across the latest advances in healthcare technology from manufacturing processes to robotics, AI to data and more.
Matha is a member of the Medtronic Foundation Board of Directors and works as Medtronic's Executive Sponsor to FIRST Robotics. He has led Medtronic’s African Descent Network, a group which aims to recruit and retain employees of African descent, as well as develop their skills.
Under his leadership, Medtronic has made sustainable strides and has been celebrated for its diversity. The company has made it into the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and was named as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Medtronic was featured in the Top 10 for Diversity Inc’s 2022 Top 50 Companies for Diversity, as well as the Human Rights Campaign’s Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality. Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index hailed Medtronic as a leader in sustainability. In 2020, Medtronic was honoured for its work during the pandemic and named on Fortune’s ‘Change the World’ list.
“We are humbled to be selected by Fortune for this prominent recognition,” said Martha. “Being included in this year’s list is a special honour given the breadth of action we’ve seen companies take this year to tackle societal needs. Our efforts to increase the time-sensitive demand for ventilators in response to COVID-19 demonstrates the mission-driven action that Medtronic employees continue to take every day to put patients first with bold leadership, inspiring innovation, and inventive partnerships.”
Making at impact at Medtronic
Martha is President of the Executive Committee of the board of directors for the Minnesota Business Partnership and has served as co-chair for a G20 engagement group, the Taskforce on Health and Life Sciences for B20. He works on the Board of Directors for the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ) and the YMCA of the North, which encourages the potential of children from every background. Martha is also part of OneTen, a group of industry leaders dedicated to supporting Black Americans.
"If you're doing something because you want to make money then you don't have a sense of purpose," Martha said. "Sense of purpose is about impact. If you have a sense of purpose, then work is not work."
From leading in ice hockey to the Board of Directors, Martha aims to make an impact.
