Tom Savard

Tom Savard, Ph.D. C: 651.303.9595 •
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Tom Savard, Ph.D.
3774 Brighton Way • Arden Hills, MN 55112 • H: 651.636.5519 • C: 651.303.9595
tom.a.savard@gmail.com • http://www.linkedin.com/in/tsavard

PROFILE: TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE
Track record of creating, leading, and executing technology and product strategy from ideation to commercialization for optimal P&L performance and maximum impact on end users.

Distinguished 17-year career marked by directing and contributing to multiple R&D programs via new technologies, new product concepts, and engineering leadership. Ph.D. in Physics, Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt, and patent holder with deep experience creating robust, best-in-class development processes and organizations in commercial and highly regulated industries. Accelerated product development, minimized risks, and reduced costs through purposeful innovation, cross-functional alignment, external stakeholder engagement, team building, Lean Sigma Design, and design for reliability, test, and manufacturing.
Key Highlights Include:

✓ Launched product and technology development strategy that resulted in a 288% increase in new product revenue, 220% productivity improvement, and 76% reduction in time to market. Transition Networks
✓ Boosted capital systems manufacturing yields by 10% and eliminated backorders. St. Jude Medical
✓ Accelerated attainment of transcatheter valve milestones by 40%, effectively reducing schedule by two years. St. Jude Medical
✓ Established division best practice by developing and implementing financial/strategic scoring-based project prioritization method for strategic/operating plans. St. Jude Medical
✓ Garnered 75% increase in market interest for insulin pump product by developing strategy that leveraged voice of the customer QFD, conjoint, and market segmentation analysis. Smiths Medical
✓ Reduced inertial sensor systems cost from >$4K to <$40 by developing design, manufacturing, and supply chain strategies that eliminated excess/waste in infrastructure and enabled entry into $150M automotive high-volume low-cost market. Honeywell International Areas of Expertise Include: • New Product Development • Organizational Efficiency & Effectiveness • Strategic & Operating Plans • Program Management • Technology & Product Roadmaps • Speed to Market Improvement • Coaching & Mentoring • Systems Engineering & Architecture • Voice of Customer Integration • Reliability, Warranty & Risk Analysis • Distributed & Global Engineering • Technical Sales Strategies • Control & Compensation Theory • Requirements Management & Contracts • Budgeting / P&L Management Professional Experience Transition Networks, Inc. – Minnetonka, MN January 2013 – Present VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT Promoted from Director, Technology Development in September 2013 to direct global R&D, marketing communications, product line management, program management, and quality department. Establish product and technology development strategy. Build teams, systems, and processes to manage entire product lifecycle from initial concept through development to channel/end customer marketing. Lead multi-site organization in Minnetonka, MN, the United Kingdom, and Shanghai, China with 45 employees and 7 direct reports at VP, Director, and Manager levels. Manage $11M annual budget. • Generated over 250% increase in new product revenue by establishing Investment Review Board and steering product development and marketing through product line management, R&D, program management, operations, marketing communications and quality teams. • Boosted productivity levels 220% by restructuring department and implementing agile design program with comprehensive program management dashboard. • Cut product development time 76% by instituting cross-functional concurrent development, requirements management, and Lean Design methodologies. • Enhanced customer satisfaction, leading to $3.3M in additional product orders, by optimizing customer support escalation process and improving root cause and corrective action methodology. • Achieved cost targets on 90% of all programs by establishing and tracking design to cost targets. • Built invention disclosure funnel with five patents in process by introducing IP procedure. • Saved $2.5M+ annually by closing inefficient R&D site and streamlining department. • Transformed marketing into proactive enterprise by rebuilding entire department, hiring new Marketing Manager, and instituting Lean Marketing principles, systems, and methods. Resulted in engaging content that increased press releases five-fold, social media impressions by 526%, and web traffic by 26%. St. Jude Medical Corp. – St. Paul, MN August 2010 – November 2012 R&D DIRECTOR, ADVANCED PROCESS DEVELOPMENT, SYSTEMS – ATRIAL FIBRILLATION DIVISION Promoted to build and lead functional group of 18 systems, electrical, and software engineers to enhance design transfer process, improve yields, and reduce backorders. Directed automated test engineering for cardiac mapping, recording, navigation, and ablation equipment. Manage $2.7M annual budget. • Reduced DPU by 70% on early pre-pilot units and improved subassembly test coverage from 80% to 99%+ through implementation of design for manufacturability and test practices. • Established automated test systems and test architecture strategy to reduce NRE, improve speed to market, and encourage equipment reuse by initiating development of Genesis test architecture. • Enabled timely launch of EnligHTN renal denervation system in $25B market by spearheading effort to modify software, update documentation, and complete verification and validation prior to EuroPCR. • Resolved field issue, improved safety, and minimized impact to $1M in monthly disposables revenue by completing legacy design electro-static discharge root cause analysis and implementing controls. • Championed implementation of Cognition Cockpit tool for tracing requirements, risks, and test results for reduced development cycle time. St. Jude Medical Corp. – St. Paul, MN May 2008 – August 2010 R&D DIRECTOR, TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT – CARDIOVASCULAR DIVISION Spearheaded strategic and operating plans by conducting technology assessments, developing roadmaps, and leveraging best portfolio planning practices. Executed technology development projects for transcatheter valves and key component of Angio-Seal. Led team of 18 mechanical / biomaterial directors, managers, project managers, and engineers. Managed $7.4M annual budget. Facilitated Structural Heart Advisory Board and delivered presentations at clinical education forums. • Reduced risk on emerging technologies, while accelerating development/speed to market with 10% of competitor’s expenditures by creating and implementing division-level technology development procedure. • Obtained FDA approval one year ahead of schedule for vertically integrated collagen production by leveraging new technology development process and DFSS tools to deliver high quality TDP data. • Gained high quality customer feedback by instituting interactive advisory board meeting format for transcatheter valves. Success of this format led to implementation in other product areas. • Drove rapid reliability improvements by facilitating staff training on reliability and DFSS, as well as, initiating accelerated reliability testing DOE strategy. St. Jude Medical Corp. – St. Paul, MN May 2007 – April 2008 R&D DIRECTOR, VASCULAR ACCESS MANAGEMENT – CARDIOVASCULAR DIVISION Co-led business planning team for $400M vascular access management business. Developed portfolio, strategic, and operating plans. Built and led team of 11 mechanical / biomaterials engineers and technicians. Managed $3M annual budget. Facilitated Cardiology Advisory Board. • Drove successful completion of Angio-Seal Evolution by executing design verification testing for timely product launch. • Established cross-functional portfolio planning and tactical project prioritization process that was leveraged across division and became best practice. Smiths Medical Corp. – St. Paul, MN October 2005 – April 2007 SENSOR TECHNOLOGY MANAGER / SIX SIGMA MASTER BLACK BELT Partnered with marketing, clinical, and R&D teams to develop and implement technology strategy and plan for insulin pumps, capnography, infusion pump sensors, diabetes care, and patient monitoring. Conducted statistical and root cause analysis for marketing, clinical studies, R&D, and operations. • Proved infusion pump quality and ensured inclusion of differentiating feature by identifying and qualifying risk of failure as less than one part per billion by collaborating with engineers to assess product through use of statistical analysis. • Reduced design cycle time and strengthened design control by successfully implementing requirements management software, Doors, and Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) into new product development process. • Optimized performance of more than 20 matrixed systems, software, electrical, and mechanical engineers by developing DFSS and DMAIC curriculum and providing mentoring in product definition, design optimization, and continuous improvement. Honeywell International Corp. – Minneapolis, MN February 1999 – October 2005 GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LEADER, ADVANCED ELECTRONICS – BUSINESS INNOVATION CENTER Appointed to lead start-up division created to produce MEMS sensors and systems for automotive applications and projected to generate $150M in revenue. Leveraged global network of internal/external suppliers and design partners in forming this new division. Led team of four direct reports. Promoted from INS/GPS Product Team Leader and Six Sigma Master Black Belt in Aerospace and Defense. • Built and led global engineering team of 3 technical directors and 20+ systems, ASIC, electrical, and MEMS engineers in Redmond, WA; Minneapolis, MN; Clearwater, FL; Bangalore, India. • Enabled company to pursue contracts with Tier 1 and OEM customers for $150M high-volume, low-cost automotive market by reducing costs for inertial sensor systems from $4K to $40. • Delivered MEMS sensor module rapid prototypes to new Tier 1 and OEM customers on schedule by cutting prototype cycle time in half. • Eliminated redundant sensor and reduced costs 25% by inventing sensor built-in-test methods. Education & Certification Duke University – Ph.D. in Physics, Thesis: “Raman Induced Resonance Imaging of Trapped Atoms” St. John’s University – B.A. in Physics, Mathematics Minor, egregia cum laude Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt Extensive Continuing Education – Full List Available Upon Request Patents, Trade Secrets & Publications Patent Application in Process: Smiths Medical Invention Disclosure, St. Jude Medical Invention Disclosures Patent Pending: Infusion Pump with Blood Glucose Alert Delay Patent Pending: Method and System for Closing a Vascular Hole Patent Pending: Sleeve for Facilitating Movement of a Transfemoral Catheter Patent Pending: Compactionless Tissue Puncture Closure Device and Methods Patent Pending: Built In Test for MEMS Vibratory Type Inertial Sensors U.S. Patent No. 8,801,657: Pump with Therapy Coaching U.S. Patent No. 8,718,949: Insulin Pump with Blood Glucose Modules U.S. Patent No. 7,330,269: Single Sensor Ring Laser Gyroscope U.S. Patent No. 7,312,866: Methods and Systems for Substrate Surface Evaluation. U.S. Patent No. 6,995,847: Methods and Systems for Substrate Surface Evaluation. U.S. Patent No. 6.826,502: Methods and Systems for Calibration and Compensation of Accelerometers with Bias Instability Honeywell Trade Secrets: H0004922 and A11-26020 Publications: Full Bibliography Available Upon Request Technical Skills Technologies: Bioprosthetic & Synthetic Implants • Catheters • Bioabsorbable Implants • Nitinol • Polymer & Substrate Characterization • Spectroscopy • Electrical Mechanical / Software Systems • MEMS • Optical Devices • Vacuum Systems (UHV) • Image Processing • Lasers (Ion, Dye, Diode) • Carrier Ethernet • Fiber Optics Applications: Delivery Catheters • Vascular Access & Closure • Heart Valves • Structural Heart Implants • Insulin Pumps • Cardiac Mapping & Recording • RF Ablation • Infusion Pumps • Patient Monitoring • Capnography • Accelerometers • Gyroscopes • GPS • Inertial Measurement Units • INS/GPS • Automotive Sensors & Systems • Telecommunications • • • • • • • • • • • • Confidential