Medtronic has promoted chief communications officer Torod Neptune to oversee its Foundation and Labs functions, effective on March 3. 

Carol Surface, SVP and chief HR officer, previously spearheaded the internal initiatives. Surface is set to exit the company on March 2, joining Apple as its first chief people officer, according to a Medtronic internal memo seen by PRWeek. 

Apple SVP of retail Deirdre O’Brien had previously led all staff-related initiatives. 

Over her 10 years at the medical device company, Surface helped Medtronic manage its $42.9 billion Covidien acquisition, integrating employees as headcount nearly doubled. 

“While we will miss [Surface] greatly, we are proud of all she achieved and the tremendous difference she has made at Medtronic,” CEO and chairman Geoff Martha said in the memo.

Martha added that Medtronic aims to have an update on its succession plan before Surface’s final day next month. 

Neptune, who is also SVP of corporate marketing and brand, will assume Surface’s oversight of Medtronic Foundation, its civic engagement and philanthropic arm, and Medtronic Labs, a health systems platform that develops community-based, tech-focused services for underserved patients and families. 

Bridging the global communications and corporate marketing (GCCM) division with the Foundation and Labs teams will allow Medtronic to continue enhancing its reputation by demonstrating social impact and accelerate healthcare access and support for global communities. 

“We’re going to double our efforts to rethink the role Medtronic plays in society, including how we create value for all our stakeholders,” Neptune said. “You’re going to see a real laser focus on that over the next 12 to 18 months.”

Neptune has served as a strategic adviser to Labs since joining Medtronic in early 2021, building awareness for partnerships including World Economic Forum’s global health equity network. He joined the Foundation board in July last year. 

Ruchika Singhal, VP of global health and Labs, will report directly to Neptune. Dr. Sally Saba will continue to report to the chief HR officer, once appointed, in her capacity as chief inclusion and diversity officer but will report to Neptune in her role as president of Medtronic Foundation.

There will not be any immediate changes to the GCCM, Labs or Foundation teams and strategies as a result of the organizational restructure. Neptune is continuing to report to Martha. 

Prior to joining Medtronic, Neptune was technology company Lenovo’s VP of marketing and chief comms officer and, before that, VP of corporate comms at Verizon Wireless. 

Neptune has also been on PRWeek’s Power List on numerous occasions, most recently in 2022. 

Medtronic posted a 3% decrease in revenue to $7.6 billion in its fiscal Q2 2023, which ended on October 28. GAAP net income was $427 million, a 67% decrease from the prior-year period, according to a company statement.

This article originally appeared on PRWeek US.