Ambassador joins Singapore staff of Medtronic to celebrate their headquartering in Ireland

On Monday 2 February, Ambassador Keating joined President of Medtronic Asia-Pacific, Bob White, to welcome the news of the merger of Medtronic and Covidien.

Medtronic’s acquisition of Ireland-based Covidien makes it a world-leading medical technology company, providing life-long solutions for people with chronic disease. In the process, it also becomes Ireland’s largest company, with a market capitalisation of over US $ 75 billion and global revenues of an estimated US $27 billion and employing approximately 4,000 people across multiple sites.

Addressing more than 1,000 Medtronic employees at Singapore’s Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, Ambassador Keating said: “Ireland’s MedTech sector has become one of the leading clusters for medical device products globally. Alongside what is produced locally in Singapore, it is wonderful to see among the cutting-edge devices on display here today, technologies which have been produced in Medtronic and Covidien facilities in Ireland: in Athlone, in Dublin, in Galway and in Tullamore.”

As drivers of growth in the MedTech sector in Ireland, Ambassador Keating pointed to Ireland’s strengths in education, talent sourcing, and track record, and invited guests to visit Ireland to experience this first-hand, alongside our beautiful landscapes and our vibrant social life.

The event brought together for the first time Singapore-based Medtronic and (formerly) Covidien employees and showcased the product lines of both companies with product demonstrations around the Convention Centre. A town hall session with all employees was to follow, including a televised address from Medtronic CEO, Omar S. Ishrak.