William W. George

WILLIAM W. GEORGE is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Medtronic,
Inc., the world’s leading medical technology company, based in
Minneapolis. He joined Medtronic in 1989 as President and Chief
Operating Officer, was elected Chief Executive Officer in 1991, and
became Chairman of the Board in August, 1996. Mr. George received his
BIE with high honors from Georgia Tech in 1964 and his MBA with high
distinction from Harvard University in 1966. From 1966 to 1969, he
served in the U.S. Department of Defense as Special Assistant to the
Secretary of the Navy and as Assistant to the Comptroller of DOD. From
1969 to 1978, Mr. George worked for Litton Industries, serving as
President of Litton Microwave Cooking Products from 1973 to 1978. He
then joined Honeywell as corporate Vice President in charge of corporate
development, R&D and strategic planning. He subsequently served as
President of Honeywell Europe, Executive Vice President of Control
Systems, President of Industrial Automation, and President of Space and
Aviation Systems. Mr. George is a member of the board of directors of
Dayton Hudson, Valspar, Imation, and Allina Health System. He is
currently Chair of the Health Industry Manufacturers Association, Chair
of Minnesota Thunder Pro Soccer, Vice Chair of Minneapolis Institute of
Arts, and 1997 General Campaign Chair for the United Way of Minneapolis.
He is past Chair of the Food and Drug Law Institute and of Abbott
Northwestern Hospital, and past President of the Guthrie Theater.