Chris Penna

Questioner
DISC Type : c

Director of Engineering Support and Technical Fellow at Medtronic at Medtronic

Guilford, Connecticut, United States

Overview

Chris is the Director of Engineering Support and a Technical Fellow at Medtronic, with over 30 years of experience designing products across the medical, telecom, and consumer recreation sectors. A graduate of RPIs MBA program with a certificate from MIT Sloan, he specializes in guiding products from concept to full commercial launch.

His background includes hands-on design of high-performance consumer products, such as motocross motorcycles and All-Terrain Vehicles during his time at Cannondale. He is passionate about fostering technical collaboration, as shown by his recent role chairing Medtronics annual Science and Technology Conference.

He is a prolific inventor, holding over 50 US patents across three different industries.

Personality Overview

Value Seeker

Not Easily Convinced

Cautious & Analytical

They are more likely than others to negotiate on pricing and terms.  While they don't hesitate to ask questions, they are generally risk-averse and tend to be late adopters. They generally do not appreciate an overfriendly approach and prefer to stay to-the-point.

Topics They Care About

Medical Device Design
As a lead design engineer at Medtronic, he has directly contributed to the development of complex surgical devices, including both manual and powered laparoscopic staplers.
Product Commercialization
He has a proven track record of taking products from the initial concept stage through development, qualification, and successful market launch.
Engineering Leadership
Recently chaired the 43rd annual Medtronic Science and Technology Conference, a premier internal event designed to inspire and motivate technical teams.

Media Appearances

Chris has no verified media appearances

Work History

8-2023
Director of Engineering Support and Technical Fellow at Medtronic at Medtronic
12-2018 - 10-2023
Senior Principal Design Engineer and Technical Fellow at Medtronic
1-2009 - 12-2018
Principal R&D Design Engineer and Technical Fellow at Medtronic
12-2000 - 1-2009
Design Engineering Manager at ebm-papst Inc
9-1999 - 10-2000
Design Engineer at Cannondale

Education

2012 - 2012
Certificate from MIT Sloan School of Management
1996 - 2000
Masters of Business Administration from RPI Lally School of Management

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 39 Location : Guilford, Connecticut, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of Engineering Support and Technical Fellow at Medtronic at Medtronic
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Insights For Selling To Chris

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Keep some extra margin in hand as they will likely negotiate the pricing
  • Back up any claims with data and numbers
  • If you have a lower priced product compared to the competition, call out the same

DONT's

  • Don’t depend too much on anecdotal evidence, it reduces their confidence
  • Avoid phrases like ‘do not worry about’, ‘no one compares to’ etc.
  • Don’t overhype the product/pitch, keep it measured

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Chris is

  • Confidence that the product provides ROI, effective pricing and process adherence matter the most to them.

  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Chris

  • It doesn’t come naturally to them but they can say no if they are not convinced.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Chris move?

  • They can move at a reasonable pace while making their decisions if they have the necessary information.

  • Can Chris take some risk or not?

  • They can take some risk if they are confident that they have analyzed the circumstances well.


You And Chris

Personality Compatibility


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