Arthur D. Collins Jr. is an American executive, the retired chairman of the board of Medtronic, Inc., and formerly served the company as president and chief executive officer.[1] He is now a senior advisor to Oak Hill Capital Partners[2] and a managing partner at Acorn Advisors, LLC.[3] Collins is also the author of the children's book series The Adventures of Archibald and Jockabeb.
Early life and education
Collins was born in 1947 in Lakewood, Ohio,[4] to his parents Arthur D. Collins Sr. and Irene Collins. His father was a physician, and encouraged him to pursue a different path if medicine was not for him.[5] Collins received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1969[6] and a Doctor of Laws honorary degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 2006.[7] Collins also holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1973.[8] He later received the Joseph Wharton Lifetime Achievement Award.
Career
Prior to his business career, he served as an officer in the US Navy, and taught naval sciences at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania.[9] He worked as a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton,[10] an executive at Abbott Laboratories,[11] and as an executive at Medtronic Inc. from 1992 to 2007,[12] stepping down as CEO. Prior to this role he served as president and COO of the company.[13] He joined Oak Hill Capital Partners as a senior advisor in 2009.[2] In 2016 he formed the consulting firm Acorn Advisors, LLC, with Sophia Shaw.[14]
Collins is the author of the children's book series The Adventures of Archibald and Jockabeb, the profits from which he donates to educational charities.[20]