March 24, 2026. Shanghai - As artificial intelligence and robotics redefine the future of healthcare, CEIBS today welcomed Chairman and CEO of Medtronic Geoff Martha to the school’s Shanghai campus for a keynote address at the latest CEIBS Executive Forum.

Themed Engineering the Extraordinary: Leading Through the Next Wave of MedTech Innovation, the event brought together a full house of CEIBS faculty, students, and business leaders to examine how purpose-driven leadership and frontier technologies are reshaping the future of global healthcare.

A mission that drives innovation

Drawing on Medtronic’s 77 year history, Mr. Martha reflected on the global company’s evolution from an engineering led startup founded in a Minneapolis garage to the world’s largest medical technology company operating in more than 150 countries.

Citing an enduring mission that has remained unchanged since 1962, he asserted how it continues to serve as both a north star and a strategic discipline, shaping long-term investment decisions, daily operations, and innovation priorities.

“Our Mission is more than words on a page,” Mr. Martha said. “It defines who we are as a company, guides our long-term strategies, and is deeply embedded in our day-to-day operations.”

Reflecting on Medtronic’s development, Mr. Martha shared that the company’s approach to innovation has always started with unmet patient needs, and has been forged through close collaboration between engineers and clinicians. He emphasised that innovation in healthcare demands a willingness to challenge legacy business models.

“In healthcare, you can’t afford the innovator’s dilemma,” he explained. “If there is some technology that is better for patients, you must adopt it, even if it means disrupting your own business … because if you don't do that, you'll lose credibility with the hospitals, with the doctors, and with your own employees, and you're not going to be in business anymore in healthcare. So we're constantly disrupting ourselves in the name of our Mission.”

Today, Medtronic invests billions of dollars every year in R&D, clinical trials, and targeted acquisitions, with therapies and solutions spanning cardiovascular care, neuroscience, and surgery.

Innovation, localisation, and strategy

Addressing the broader healthcare landscape, Mr. Martha outlined the macro forces shaping global healthcare, including rising costs, workforce shortages, shifting patient expectations, and the need for localisation in major markets.

He highlighted China as an increasingly important source of MedTech innovation, particularly in robotics, digital health, and AI, and stressed the value of partnerships with governments, hospitals, universities, and startups.

Turning to Medtronic’s strategic response to these developments, Mr. Martha outlined what he believes is a clear roadmap anchored in innovation driven growth, underpinned by localising solutions to meet the needs of emerging markets, delivering superior outcomes and better experiences for both patients and providers, and turning data, AI, and automation into action.

Leading the next wave of MedTech

Looking ahead, Mr. Martha shared how Medtronic is working to improve diagnostic, surgery, and patient care with AI. These technologies, he explained, are enabling clinicians to better understand disease, personalise treatment, automate complex tasks, and improve outcomes at scale.

He shared examples from Medtronic’s advanced surgical robotics platforms, where AI enabled imaging, navigation, and data driven surgical planning are incorporated to augment surgeons’ hands, eyes, and decision making. In spinal and soft tissue procedures, for example, AI systems are able to analyse vast amounts of clinical data to generate a customised surgical plan, guide the physician through the procedure, track post operative recovery, and continuously improve through closed loop learning.

“These technologies are not about eliminating jobs,” Mr. Martha stressed. “It's about democratising good healthcare around the world and providing access, because there's not going to be enough doctors and nurses.”

Leadership in an era of transformation

In closing, Mr. Martha highlighted three leadership principles that have remained constant throughout his career: clear thinking, a strong sense of purpose, and humility, encouraging the CEIBS students present to stay curious, focused, and grounded to navigate complexity in an era of rapid change driven by AI and automation.

The keynote was followed by an interactive Q&A session, during which participants engaged with Mr. Martha on topics ranging from innovation strategy, leadership development to the future of global healthcare.

Ahead of the forum, CEIBS and Medtronic China signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation, underscoring CEIBS’ ongoing commitment to strengthening industry–academia collaboration. Under the agreement, the two parties will expand joint efforts in talent development and recruitment, and establish a dedicated CEIBS–Medtronic Education and Research Base—setting a new benchmark for collaboration between business education and industry.

Senior leaders from both sides expressed strong confidence in the partnership, noting that it will leverage their respective strengths in academic leadership and industrial innovation. Together, they aim to advance talent development in the healthcare sector and support its high-quality, sustainable growth.