The Medtronic Foundation is headed into a new era with the appointment of Dr. Sally Saba as President. The Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at Medtronic has overseen inclusion, diversity, and equity (ID&E) at Medtronic since 2020.

Having a leader who can drive the strategic work of both the Medtronic Foundation and inclusion, diversity, and equity (ID&E) at Medtronic and will help us take on the toughest equity challenges and take our employee engagement in community to the next level.

We caught up with Dr. Saba to hear why this approach matters – and how it will work.

Q: What does the Medtronic Foundation do?

A: When I think of the sixth tenet of the Medtronic Mission to be a good corporate citizen, I can’t help but think about the Medtronic Foundation because they envision a world where there are no barriers to achieving health, wellbeing, and prosperity. It exemplifies our commitment as a purpose driven company. 

Q: Combining leadership for these two areas seems like an innovative approach. How will it advance equity?

A: I think it’s important to understand the ID&E strategy at Medtronic to see the commonalities. Our approach to ID&E is based on three things – what we can each do as an individual, what our company is doing, and how we show up in community. Under the community pillar, one thing we’re working on is advancing diversity in STEM.

In fact, GIDE and the Medtronic Foundation have already worked together to establish several multi-year, multi-million dollar efforts with groups like Thurgood Marshall Fund and Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers that are helping to ensure diverse talent has access (scholarships funded by the Medtronic Foundation) and opportunity (internships formalized with the company). This is just one example of the impact we can have through partnership.

While each group still has important, independent work it needs to and will continue to drive, I’m excited to unleash the full potential of what’s possible.

Q: What is the key takeaway for our readers?

A: The most important thing for people to know is that our commitment to ID&E is unwavering, and this change only reinforces that. We know equity starts beyond our workplace and systemic inequities can’t be solved by one entity alone. They require all stakeholders to come together in earnest partnership to solve our communities’ biggest challenges. This foundation enables us to be deeply involved in our communities and envision a future where every member of our diverse communities can thrive and reach their fullest potential.  

Our unwavering commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity (ID&E) means working toward zero barriers to opportunity. It also means promoting a culture where all employees feel they belong, are respected, and feel valued for who they are. Learn more.

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