Fred Pelton
I believe that the most important attribute that contributes to the degree of success of an individual, a team, or a company is determination. Tommy Lasorda had it right when he said, “The difference between impossible and possible lies in a person’s determination.” In R&D we face what can seem like impossible challenges every day and it takes a person, or a team, that won’t accept failure to ensure we are keeping our customers satisfied.
I believe that the most important attribute that contributes to the degree of success of an individual, a team, or a company is determination. Tommy Lasorda had it right when he said, “The difference between impossible and possible lies in a person’s determination.” In R&D we face what can seem like impossible challenges every day and it takes a person, or a team, that won’t accept failure to ensure we are keeping our customers satisfied.
As Vice President of R&D for the Visualization business, Fred is focused on delivering world class products for the airway management and bronchoscopy markets that preserve and extend the lives of patients around the world. He leads a highly talented and diverse organization that puts patients and customers first in every aspect of the product lifecycle from research, through development, to sustaining of the products in the field. Fred strongly believes in doing things right and ensuring that our products have the best-in-class performance, quality, and reliability.
Fred joined Verathon in June 2024 with more than 27 years of product development experience, of which, 19 were leading global development teams at companies such as Motorola, Medtronic, Zimmer Biomet, and Olympus. He was head of capital development for the Surgical Innovations BU at Medtronic, Head of R&D for the Surgical BU at Zimmer Biomet, and Head of Capital Equipment Development for the US Design Center at Olympus. His leadership experience includes building development teams from scratch and successfully restructuring existing teams struggling to execute. He has overseen the development and launch of numerous medical devices across several markets. Fred has a BS in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University and splits his time between Bothell, WA and Burnaby, BC.
What do you enjoy the most about being part of the Verathon team?
Verathon has a very special culture driven by great people with a strong belief in Verathon’s core values. It’s an amazing journey to be part of when everyone believes in winning together and winning for our customers and their patients.
What are you most excited about for Verathon’s future?
What has me most excited about Verathon’s future is that we have a foundation of incredible products that customers highly value providing the fuel for the next generation of products. We have a leadership team committed to continuous innovation. And, we have a highly talented team of people eager to execute our product pipeline. When you combine this with emerging technologies, we will change the standard of care, treat patients that were untreatable, and reach more customers resulting in a profound impact on so many people’s lives.
How would you describe the perfect weekend?
The perfect weekend for me would involve spending time with my wife and kids. It would start with my wife and I watching our youngest daughter play lacrosse and then spending the rest of the weekend with our older kids and their significant others grilling, eating, playing games, and catching up on lost time. It doesn’t matter where we are spending time, just the fact we are together and enjoying ourselves.