Bill Courtney, new chief financial officer at Eden Prairie-based Starkey Hearing Technologies, has extensive experience in global business and in using Starkey hearing aids.
Courtney said he has worn hearing aids for most of his adult life and Starkey products for more than six years.
Courtney referred to using Starkey's new Livio AI hearing aid. With integrated sensors and artificial intelligence, it tracks fitness and cognitive health, translates dozens of languages and features Amazon Alexa connectivity.
"It's way beyond a hearing aid for people who need them," Courtney said. "There is functionality and opportunity to help people in many facets."
Courtney, who joined Starkey last month, has more than three decades of global experience in retail strategy, operations, financial infrastructure and medical device leadership.
He most recently was Medtronic's vice president and chief financial officer for global operations and business services. He was responsible for financial and strategic support for teams throughout the world and led Medtronic business services' global strategy, developing it from concept to operating group in 18 months.
Courtney's finance experience spans operations, information technology, supply chain, manufacturing and other functions. He also served as senior vice president of finance at Hertz, senior vice president of finance and operations at Best Buy and chief financial officer of Barclays global technology and operations, based in London.
Q: What brought you to Starkey?
A: Being able to join Starkey is very close to my heart. I've known Bill Austin, our CEO, and Brandon Sawalich, our president, for six years, after I first moved back from London and joined Best Buy. I started wearing their equipment, started learning about their vision, their commitment to the customer, which is unparalleled, and their commitment to helping others.
