3M Law Chief to Join Medtronic

Ivan Fong, the legal leader of 3M Co., has joined Medtronic Plc as executive vice president and general counsel, effective Feb. 1. According to a corporate statement released Thursday, Fong follows Brad Lerman, who will retire at the end of January in compliance with Medtronic’s mandated executive officer retirement age of 65. He had been with 3M since 2012 and had spent the last nine months as executive vice president, chief legal and policy officer.

He was general counsel at the Homeland Security Department for more than three years during President Barack Obama’s first term before joining the corporation. Medtronic manufactures a wide range of medical devices, from surgical instruments to ventilators. The corporation, which is headquartered in Dublin but has its U.S. headquarters in Minneapolis, reported a $1.3 billion profit for the three months ended Oct. 29.

In a statement, Medtronic Chief Executive Officer Geoff Martha said, “Ivan’s decision to join Medtronic underlines our position as a leading destination for exceptional talent.” Medtronic discontinued sales of its heart pump device in June after discovering evidence that it may cause more strokes than other models. This month, Covidien, a Medtronic company, withdrew one of their ventilators due to a malfunction.

3M, established in St. Paul, Minnesota, manufactures a wide range of items, including building materials, cleaning supplies, Post-it notes, and safety equipment including N95 face masks. Despite increased demand for personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 outbreak, 3M cut roughly 3,000 jobs in December 2020 while other parts of the company suffered. The company agreed to spin off its food safety division and merge with Neogen Corp. in a $9.3 billion deal earlier this month.