Former High-Profile CEOs Find New Shops

Two high-profile medical device industry leaders who recently “retired” from their lofty posts are retired no more. William Hawkins, former CEO of Medtronic Inc and James Tobin, who led Boston Scientific Corp for more than a decade, have landed at smaller device firms.

Hawkins is the new CEO of Atlanta, Ga.-based Immucor Inc., which develops automated instrument-reagents systems that detect and identify certain properties of blood prior to transfusion. Company. The company was founded in 1982. Hawkins’ appointment follows the decision of current CEO Joshua Levine to step down from his role. The transition will be effective on Oct. 17. Levine said having his family in California and his office in Atlanta became “unsustainable.”

In July, Immucor was purchased by private investment firm TPG Capital for $1.97 billion.

“We are excited to have Bill Hawkins joining the Immucor team,” said Todd Sisitsky, a partner with TPG Capital. “He brings years of experience building some of the most dynamic, innovative companies in the healthcare 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.”

Before joining Medtronic, Mr. Hawkins was the CEO of Novoste, another Atlanta-based medical technology company. He also will serve as senior advisor to TPG Capital on its ongoing efforts to identify investment opportunities in the healthcare industry and continue to play a role advocating for policies that will strengthen the healthcare system, according to a press release.

James Tobin was appointed to the board of directors of Aptus Endosystems Inc., a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based medical device company developing advanced technology for treating abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).

“Jim is widely recognized as a leading medical device executive who will bring a combination of strategic vision and business acumen to Aptus Endosystems,” said Alan Kaganov, chairman of the Aptus board. “He’s a proven and skilled executive with broad experience in healthcare markets and will be invaluable to our efforts to transform and develop an emerging medical device company focused on endovascular aneurysm repair.”

Tobin, 67, served as president and CEO of Boston Scientific from March 1999 to July 2009.

“The Aptus team is bringing elegant new ideas to the AAA space to address clinical needs that have to date been underserved,” said Tobin. “The company’s devices promise to make it possible to treat a broader range of patients successfully with fewer late failures.”

Privately held Aptus manufacturers the Fortevo AAA Endograft System and the HeliFX Aortic Securement System, which have been approved in the European Union. The products are approved for investigational use only in the United States.