The Irish Times Business Person of the Month: Geoff Martha

Geoff Martha has been chosen as The Irish Times Business Person of the Month for July, an award run in association with Bank of Ireland.

Martha is chief executive and chairman of medical device giant Medtronic, which announced 200 new research and development (R&D) roles at a global centre of excellence in Galway as part of a $30 million (€29.9 million) investment in its business.

The announcement came as Medtronic marked 40 years in Ireland, where it employs 4,000 people, and at a time when its Irish operations have rarely been as high profile.

The 200 jobs will be in new product development and global laboratory services, working on the development of products and services in the areas of coronary care, heart valve and peripheral vascular disease, heart arrhythmia and pacing, hypertension and spinal injury.

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The new jobs reinforce the Galway plant’s status within Medtronic, which is domiciled in Ireland. On a recent visit to Dublin, Martha noted that R&D undertaken in Galway was a critical part of Medtronic operations globally. The company employs 3,000 people in the city.

A second Galway plant hit the headlines just as Martha was taking over the reins at Medtronic when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. As the company’s sole manufacturing base for medical ventilators — a business in which it is among the world leaders — it ramped up production fivefold to try to meet demand from intensive care units worldwide.