The final episode of the fourth season of The Leaders’ Room podcast features Sean Gayer, VP of EMEA manufacturing operations at Boston Scientific. This series has been created in partnership with IDA Ireland.
And in the fourth season of The Leaders’ Room podcast, we get to know some of the world’s most influential leaders in technology, life sciences and innovation, and get insights into their leadership styles and the high-tech trends that are transforming their industries.
In this final episode of season four, we talk to Sean Gayer, VP of EMEA manufacturing operations at Boston Scientific, about his role at one of the world’s largest medtech organizations, the future of human health as we all live longer, and the kind of leadership that keeps people — and patients — at the center.
Boston Scientific was founded in 1979 and today is a global medical device company with revenues of $20bn, located in 127 countries, 59,000 employees and 48 million patients treated annually. Its stated mission – to transform lives through innovative medical solutions – is one that comes through clearly in the way Gayer talks about the company and the work being done at its three Irish facilities.
In Ireland, Boston Scientific has three manufacturing facilities and a total of approximately 8,000 employees. Galway, the largest site with more than 4,000 employees, specializes in cardiovascular products including the Watchman device – a stroke prevention product placed in the heart that reduces the risk of clotting and the need for blood thinners for life.
Clonmel makes functional implants: defibrillators, pacemakers and a deep brain stimulation device used in the treatment of Parkinson’s. Cocoa manufactures cancer treatment products, catheters and a tool called the RotorBlade, which spins at 160,000 revolutions per minute to remove plaque from arteries, Gayer explained.
A €75 million investment in R&D capabilities in Galway was announced just before we spoke, which Gayer said shows the confidence the company has in its Irish sites, and the direction Boston Scientific is moving in this country.
Point player or team player?
Gayer’s path to his current role is unusual, and he tells it with good humor. BCom from UCC, trained at PwC, and his first role in industry at Millipore (now Merck), where a former boss gave him advice that has stayed with him to this day: you can be a scorekeeper or a team player, and you’ll have more fun being a team player. “Go down to the production floor, understand what’s driving the numbers, and then you can do something about them,” Gayer explains.
It is a principle that he calls Gemba – going where the problem is, talking to the people doing the work – and he has done it in every role since: a hearing care company, a speller in communications and ICT, then Boston Scientific Cork in 2013 as finance director. Two years later he became site leader, and two years ago he moved into the EMEA regional role. An accountant, as he puts it, “who was very interested in working”.
For leadership, Gayer draws on the Shingo Prize model, which Boston Scientific Cork successfully challenged during the site’s leadership. At the top of the triangle is the North Star – Boston Scientific, which has a positive impact on patients’ lives. Down there are those who do the rituals – lead with humility, and respect everyone, Gayer said. The central piece, he says, takes care of itself when you give the right people a well-defined, goal-oriented problem.
Looking to the future
The discussion about the future of human life is amazing. We are living longer – life expectancy in Ireland has increased by more than 20 years in the last century, and that is likely to continue. That’s putting real pressure on health systems, and Gayer sees AI, robotics and remote monitoring as part of the answer – AI for early detection and clinical decision-making, robotic-assisted surgery and virtual wards that allow patients to recover at home while being monitored remotely. That kind of thinking, he says, is what the health system needs most.
In practice, the focus is on strengthening procurement after Covid and on smart, highly connected industries where integrated data supports better decision-making. Boston Scientific’s 8,000 Irish employees represent, as Gayer put it to the company’s board, more than 70,000 years of accumulated knowledge. That, he said bluntly, is their greatest asset.
A big thank you to everyone we interviewed again this season, for taking time out of their busy schedules to come to the studio and share their insights and wisdom with us. And a big thank you to our partners IDA Ireland who made this series possible.
The Leaders Room podcast is released twice a week and can be found by searching for ‘Leaders Room’ wherever you find your podcasts. For those who prefer their audio visual, taped versions of all podcast interviews are available here on SiliconRepublic.com.
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