01/26/2010

Award Spotlight

Bill Hawkins assumed the role of chief executive officer of Medtronic Inc. in August 2007 and became chair of the board in August 2008. He was named president and chief operating officer in May 2004 after joining Medtronic as senior vice president and president of Medtronic's vascular business in January 2002.

Bill joined Medtronic from Novoste Corp., where he had been president and chief executive officer since 1998. Previous positions included corporate vice president and president of the Sherwood Davis and Geck organization of American Home Products; president of the Ethicon Endo-Surgery organization of Johnson & Johnson; president, Devices for Vascular Intervention and US Operations, for Guidant Corp.; and several increasingly responsible executive positions, culminating in the presidency of the Ivac organization for Eli Lilly & Co. He began his medical technology career with Carolina Medical Electronics in 1977.

Bill received his bachelor of science degree in electrical and biomedical engineering in 1976 from Duke University, where he also conducted medical research in pathology. He also earned a master's degree in business administration from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, in 1982.

Bill is a member of the Board of Visitors of the Engineering School of Duke University and the Guthrie Theatre Board. In 2009, he received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society and delivered a keynote address at the Society's annual meeting. About the meeting, Hawkins said, "I was most impressed by the number and quality of those attending. BMES clearly brings together all the disciplines and leaders in the profession."