Welch Allyn President and Chief Executive Officer Speaks at Annenberg Leadership and Management Speaker Series

SKANEATELES FALLS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Julie Shimer, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Welch Allyn, a leading global provider of medical diagnostic equipment, recently spoke at the Annenberg Leadership and Management Speaker Series held at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA. Shimer, who is the first female chief executive officer of Welch Allyn in the company’s 95-year history, spoke at the dinner lecture on Tuesday, April 19, as the final speaker of the four-part series. Click here to watch Dr. Shimer’s speech on Harvey Mudd College's YouTube channel.

“It is a tremendous privilege to have been featured in the company of such great speakers, and it was very exciting to share my leadership experiences and the many lessons I’ve learned along the way.”

The Annenberg Leadership and Management Speaker Series was supported by the Leonore Annenberg Fund for Leadership and Development. The primary goal of the lecture series was to engage the college in a practical discussion about the role of leadership in organizations. The 2011 Annenberg Leadership and Management Speaker Series began on March 1 of this year and featured Bill Gates, founder and former chief executive officer of Microsoft; Robbie Bach, former president of the Entertainment & Devices division at Microsoft; and Jerry Held, executive chairman of Vertica and chief executive officer of Held Consulting Group. Shimer was the final speaker of the prestigious 2011 series.

“I’m honored to have been invited to participate in the Annenberg Leadership and Management Speaker Series,” said Shimer. “It is a tremendous privilege to have been featured in the company of such great speakers, and it was very exciting to share my leadership experiences and the many lessons I’ve learned along the way.”

The title of Shimer’s lecture was “From Devices to Solutions—a Leadership Journey.” Throughout her presentation, Shimer provided a background of her experiences at Welch Allyn as she directed the company’s strategic transition from selling medical devices to selling medical solutions. Additionally, Shimer shared how her leadership skills were developed throughout her career, leadership tips, and the lessons she has learned while at the helm of a global medical device manufacturer.

Before joining Welch Allyn in 2007, Shimer served as president and CEO of Vocera Communications, a leading wireless communications company based in Cupertino, CA. While at Vocera, she led the company in securing more than $29 million in capital funding, shipped the first Vocera Communications Systems, and added key talent to the executive, marketing, and technical teams. As a result of her leadership, the company experienced explosive growth, and its communication system was deployed in leading hospitals in the United States and Europe.

Shimer also held executive positions at 3Com Corporation, serving as vice president and general manager of its networking products. Before joining 3Com, she held executive positions at Motorola, where she was vice president and general manager in the paging division and, prior to that post, vice president in its semiconductor products sector. Shimer also held leadership positions at AT&T Bell Laboratories and Bethlehem Steel Company. Along the way, Shimer was issued a U.S. patent and authored more than 10 technical papers.

Shimer currently holds board positions with Welch Allyn, Netgear and Centerstate Corporation for Economic Opportunity. She is actively involved in programs that encourage women to enter engineering fields and is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Society for Women Engineers. Dr. Shimer holds master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Lehigh University and a bachelor’s degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

About Welch Allyn

Founded in 1915 and headquartered in Skaneateles Falls, NY (USA), Welch Allyn is a leading global provider of medical diagnostic equipment and a complete range of digital and connected solutions. With 2,600 employees working in 26 different countries, Welch Allyn is a family-owned business that specializes in helping doctors, nurses, and other frontline practitioners across the globe provide the best patient care by developing innovative products, breakthrough technologies, and cutting-edge solutions that help them see more patients, detect more conditions, and improve more lives. More information about Welch Allyn and its complete line of connected products and solutions may be found at www.welchallyn.com.