Name: Raman Venkatesh
New title: Chief sustainability officer, Medtronic
Previous title: Executive vice president, Aquaporin
Medtronic has appointed Raman Venkatesh to the newly created position of chief sustainability officer, the company said Thursday.
Venkatesh’s most recent two positions were advising a venture capital fund on healthcare, energy and mobility and working as executive vice president of Aquaporin, a company focused on improving water use. Earlier, Venkatesh advised a private equity firm on sustainable medical device manufacturing.
The résumé has persuaded Medtronic to enlist Venkatesh for its own sustainability push. Ken Washington, chief technology and innovation officer at Medtronic, revealed the appointment in a post on Linkedin.
“Raman will be responsible for leading the development and execution of Medtronic’s environmental sustainability strategy. I am excited to see Raman and his team drive Medtronic forward on our sustainability journey,” Washington said. “I am confident that together we will shape and unlock new innovative solutions that serve our patients and our planet.”
Venkatesh’s team will be tasked with driving Medtronic’s “corporate sustainability commitments – including reporting, managing internal and external partnerships, and leading investments in initiatives,” Medtronic spokesperson Erika Winkels wrote in an email.
Medtronic previously discussed its sustainability work in a 2023 report. The company has set up a sustainability steering committee, led by its chief financial officer, to “embed sustainability” throughout its operations. The committee has overseen a 35% reduction in “operational greenhouse gas emissions intensity” since its fiscal year 2020. The goal is to achieve a 50% reduction by the company’s fiscal year 2025.
Venkatesh will inherit that target, plus other commitments Medtronic has made in relation to water, packaging waste, life cycle assessments, “eco-design criteria” and more.
The appointment is part of a broader move to create sustainability-focused leadership roles. Abbott appointed Kathryn McKenzie as divisional vice president of global citizenship and sustainability in 2021, and Cook Medical named Barry Slowey as chief sustainability officer in September 2023.
