William Hawkins

Charlottesville, VA (Nov 9, 2016) – Former Chairman and CEO of Medtronic Bill Hawkins has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.“I have had the privilege of spending my career at the forefront of medical technology innovation. And focused ultrasound represents the future of non-invasive care – improving outcomes while lowering complications and costs,” says Hawkins. “I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute to this remarkable Foundation that is catalyzing the field and breaking through barriers to speed the process for this life-saving technology to reach patients as soon as possible.”“The field is at a critical inflection point, where the technology is quickly evolving from a research tool to a valued clinical solution primed for commercial adoption,” said Foundation Chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD. “This is a perfect time to add Bill’s technical expertise, market insights and business acumen to our Board as we work to improve the future of medicine.”Hawkins is retired Chairman and CEO of Medtronic, one of the world’s largest and most innovative medical technology companies. He joined Medtronic in 2002 as SVP and President of Medtronic Vascular and went on to become President and Chief Operating Officer before being named CEO. He is currently Lead Director of Immucor, Inc., a privately held leading provider of transfusion and transplantation diagnostic products worldwide. He was President and CEO of Immucor from 2011 to 2015.

Among the 80 new members announced by the NAE today are Kristina Johnson, former dean of the Pratt School of Engineering, and William A. Hawkins III, a Duke engineering alumnus, former member of the Pratt Board of Visitors and current member of the Duke University Board of Trustees.

William A. Hawkins III graduated from Duke in 1976 with degrees in electrical and biomedical engineering. He was a member of the school’s Board of Visitors from 2002-2011, serving as chair between 2009-2011, and was appointed an adjunct professor of engineering in 2011.

Now a member of the Duke University Board of Trustees as well as the Duke University Health System Board of Directors, Hawkins is lead director of Immucor, Inc., a leading provider of transfusion and transplantation diagnostic products worldwide.

Prior to joining Immucor in 2011, Hawkins served as chairman and CEO of Medtronic, one of the world’s largest and most innovative medical technology companies. He has also served as president and CEO of Novoste Corp. and held senior leadership positions at American Home Products, Johnson & Johnson, Guidant Corp., and Eli Lilly & Co.

“I am really thrilled that three of Pratt’s own have been recognized by their peers with the highest honor accorded to engineers,” said Ravi Bellamkonda, who has been named the next Vinik Dean of Engineering at Duke effective August 1.  “It is a testament to the scholarship and leadership that we associate with Pratt and Duke.”

Immucor, a healthcare products company based in Norcross, Georgia, announced that it would acquire Hologics’ Lifecodes division for $85 million. According to a press release by the company, the new acquisition could be worth up to $95 million if Hologic meets certain financial milestones. This is Immucor’s first acquisition since CEO William Hawkins (previously CEO of Medtronic) took office.

Lifecodes is the transplant diagnostics division of Hologics. In the press release, Immucor stated that Lifecodes is a “worldwide leader in transplantation diagnostics.” The company believes that the total market for transplantation diagnostics is worth an estimated $400 million and will continue to grow in the future. Hologic acquired Lifecodes in August of 2012 during the $4 billion acquisition of Gen-Probe, a molecular diagnostics company.

William Hawkins is CEO and president of Immucor. In prepared remarks, he said, “The Lifecodes business will extend our mission to organs and stem cells.” He continued, “The clear market advantage here is that customers anywhere in the world will have a single source for proven diagnostics that has a core competency in antigen typing and antibody screening and identification.”

LifeScience Alley announced today that Bill Hawkins, former CEO of Medtronic and current CEO of Immucor, Inc., will serve as inaugural chairman of a new public-private partnership among Minnesota’s medical technology community, the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and the University of Minnesota, aimed at advancing regulatory science. The partnership was initiated following a LifeScience Alley-hosted visit of senior CDRH members to the Twin Cities in August 2011, and was formalized in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between LifeScience Alley and FDA on Dec. 7, 2011. Additionally, Amy Peterson, senior director, clinical & regulatory affairs, men’s health division, American Medical Systems (AMS), will provide executive management of the partnership and will oversee the administration of projects. Among other initiatives, local members of the partnership will lead efforts to establish a center for the advancement of regulatory science in Minnesota.

Hawkins and Peterson, in collaboration with LifeScience Alley and the University of Minnesota, are in the process of securing commitments from industry and academic leaders to serve on the partnership’s Steering Committee. The full Steering Committee membership will be announced within 30 days. Dale Wahlstrom, president and CEO of LifeScience Alley, announced the agreement after several conversations with Hawkins and various stakeholders. “Bill has the experience, reputation and vision to help lead this initiative,” said Wahlstrom. “We now have an opportunity to play an important part in improving the process for evaluating medical technology for market clearance.”

The Board of Directors of Immucor, Inc. announced today that William A. Hawkins will be Immucor’s next CEO. Immucor, Inc. is a private company, wholly owned by TPG Capital. Mr. Hawkins’ appointment follows the decision of current CEO Joshua Levine to step down from his role. The transition will be effective October 17, 2011.

In announcing Mr. Hawkins’ new role, TPG Partner Todd Sisitsky commented, “We are excited to have Bill Hawkins joining the Immucor team. He brings years of experience building some of the most dynamic, innovative companies in the health care industry. He is among the most respected leaders in the sector. His leadership and strategic acumen will be invaluable as the company continues implementing its highly successful growth strategy.” Mr. Sisitsky added, “We are grateful for the tremendous leadership of Joshua Levine. Under Josh’s leadership, Immucor has made a successful transition to private ownership. The Board is thankful for his service and respects his decision.”

In accepting the position of CEO at Immucor, Mr. Hawkins said, “I am very excited for the opportunity to be taking over as CEO of Immucor, a market leader in helping secure the world’s blood supply through automation. Immucor’s talented management has brought forth innovation that is improving the practice of transfusion medicine.”