A native of Bangladesh, Omar Ishrak earned a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from King’s College at the University of London.   After earning his doctorate, Dr. Ishrak joined Philips Ultrasound as a research engineer and for 13 years, served in various product development and engineering positions at Philips Ultrasound and leadership positions at Diasonics/Vingmed.  He then joined GE Medical Systems and over 16 years continued to progress through the ranks at GE, including serving as the President and CEO of GE Healthcare Systems, a $12 billion division of GE Healthcare supported by approximately 20,000 employees in 120 countries. 

In 2011, Dr. Ishrak joined Medtronic as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  Medtronic is the world’s leading medical technology company with more than $28 billion in annual revenue and over 85,000 employees with operations reaching approximately 160 countries worldwide.  The company offers technologies, solutions, and therapies to treat a wide range of medical conditions, including cardiac and vascular diseases, respiratory, neurological and spinal conditions, diabetes, and more.  The Medtronic Mission is to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life for millions of people around the world.  Since joining Medtronic, Dr. Ishrak has focused the company on three core strategies of Therapy Innovation, Economic Value, and Globalization.

At Medtronic Dr. Ishrak meets regularly with employee resource groups and chairs the diversity council and personally signs off on diversity goals.  “Our business is diverse.  Our customers are diverse,” Dr. Ishrak has stated.  “So we need to have a workplace that reflects the diversity of our customers and business.”

Dr. Ishrak sits on the Board of Trustees of the Asia Society, and is co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Health and Healthcare Community.  Additionally, he serves as a member of the Minnesota Public Radio Board of Trustees.  Dr. Ishrak ranks among the nation’s top-rated and most-liked CEOs, according to a recent Glassdoor survey of leadership performance.  In 2016, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) announced the induction of Dr. Ishrak to its College of Fellows.