Eric Lenard has been appointed Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Innovation, Development & Quality at Medtronic marking the creation of a new executive finance role designed to strengthen the company’s innovation strategy and research and development (R&D) investments. The appointment was announced by Medtronic CFO Thierry Piéton in June 2026. According to Piéton, the newly established position is an important step in Medtronic’s efforts to accelerate innovation by integrating finance more closely with enterprise-wide R&D planning, funding and execution. The role is intended to enhance financial discipline, transparency and capital allocation across the company’s innovation pipeline supporting long-term value creation while advancing patient care.
Lenard joins Medtronic after more than 22 years at Johnson & Johnson where he held several senior finance leadership positions. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Global Services Finance. Earlier in his career he was Vice President and CFO of Robotics & Digital Solutions and also led finance functions across businesses including DePuy Synthes and Ethicon. Before joining Johnson & Johnson in 2004 Lenard spent over six years in finance roles at Procter & Gamble. Commenting on the appointment, Piéton highlighted Lenard’s extensive medtech finance expertise and experience supporting innovation-driven organizations. He said he looks forward to working with Lenard to further strengthen the financial rigor behind Medtronic’s innovation agenda.
Lenard also expressed enthusiasm about joining the company stating that he is honored to become Medtronic’s first VP and CFO dedicated to Innovation, Development & Quality. He described innovation as the foundation of Medtronic’s long-standing mission to alleviate pain, restore health and extend lives, adding that he is excited to contribute to the company’s next phase of growth.
The appointment reflects Medtronic’s increasing emphasis on innovation-led growth by aligning financial leadership more closely with product development, research and quality initiatives reinforcing the company’s strategic focus on bringing new medical technologies to market more efficiently.