I sat down with ZOLL Medical’s new CEO, Eric Knudsen, who is bringing his experience as an EMT and ski patroller to his new executive position.
“Volunteering with EMS keeps me connected to ZOLL’s mission of improving patient outcomes and helping save lives,” Knudsen told me. “When you care for someone on what may be the worst day of their life, it reinforces what our work is about.”
Understanding the messy environment EMS operates in
In 2019, ZOLL acquired a technology called Mobilize that helps equip bystanders to respond to emergencies.
“I became more curious about what our EMS customers actually deal with in the field,” Knudsen said. “That curiosity led me to get my EMT-B and NREMT certification. I’ve added certifications as a Wilderness EMT and as an Outdoor Emergency Care Technician through the National Ski Patrol.”
Knudsen spends most of his volunteer work as a ski patroller and with the Massachusetts Medical Reserve Corps, which supports public health and emergency response efforts during disasters and large-scale events.
“Spending time as an EMT and ski patroller — even as a volunteer — has given me a much better appreciation for what responders deal with and the kind of pressure they operate under,” Knudsen said.
Knudsen notes his volunteer EMS work constantly reminds him that ZOLL products need to work when things are messy and unpredictable.
“EMS providers are making clinical decisions every day, often in chaotic environments with limited information and very little time,” Knudsen said. “ZOLL solutions need to be simple to use, reliable and quick to deploy, because in the field, there’s no time to fight with a device.”
A new perspective
Knudsen recalled an incident that left a lasting impression on him while on the slopes.
“We had a code on the mountain and as the patient was transported down in a toboggan, one of our patrollers was straddling the patient doing (chest) compression, while another was driving down the trail,” Knudsen said. “Watching someone try to deliver effective compression in a tough environment — on a moving sled, over uneven terrain — really gives you an appreciation for how difficult CPR can be and why tools like automated CPR devices can deliver consistent compressions.”
Knudsen continued, “It frees up providers to focus on airway management, medications and everything else that must happen when you’re working a code.”
Seeing this incident unfold, Knudsen said he is excited about ZOLL’s next general mechanical CPR platform, AutoPulse NXT.
“High-quality CPR remains one of the most important factors in cardiac arrest survival,” he said.
“The AutoPulse NXT is lighter and easier to maneuver during transport and it automatically adjusts to the patient’s chest size while delivering circumferential compressions designed to improve blood flow.”
Decades of experience
With more than three decades of experience, Knudsen has a deep expertise in business development and corporate strategy.
“My ZOLL experiences have given me a broad perspective on our company and the many ways we can innovate to improve patient care,” Knudsen said. “One factor that is essential to our success is our passion — ZOLL people care deeply about our mission.”
Knudsen obtained an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He has held leadership positions in international sales, marketing and manufacturing partnerships at Covidien (now Medtronic), Aspect Medical Systems and LeMaitre Vascular.
He joined ZOLL in 2013 and has led ZOLL’s corporate development team since 2016. Knudsen became President of ZOLL Itamar, a division of ZOLL that is focused on the diagnosis of sleep disorders, in 2022.
ZOLL employs 7,000 people and serves patients and customers in more than 160 countries around the world.
“ZOLL’s goal in EMS is simple: build tools that help providers do their jobs better in very challenging environments,” Knudsen said.
