Ariel MacTavish, a Venture Partner at Boomerang Ventures, focuses on expanding the company’s reach in the West region MedTech ecosystem, and her advisory role will extend across deal sourcing, diligence, portfolio management, strategic partnerships, and mentoring founders.
She positions business units for sustainable growth and long-term profitability within the healthcare technology, life sciences, and medical device spaces. A respected healthcare executive, Ariel is known for advising on and leading key aspects of corporate acquisitions and large-scale integrations and developing strategies to expand and stabilize operations.
Ariel has been a strategic driving force behind commercializing several medical device products worldwide and managing specialty business units across multiple categories, such as surgical, cardiovascular, diagnostics, and respiratory.
In 2021, Ariel joined the Board of Directors at Boomerang Studio, a health tech venture capital organization focused on funding, building, and launching healthcare and life sciences companies. In this capacity, she draws from her expertise to assess the viability and risk of potential business opportunities.
From 2012 to 2024, Ariel held several roles in Medtronic’s Respiratory Interventions division (formerly Covidien). She served as president of the operating unit from 2019 to 2024, where she steered operations for the ~$1B business unit while managing 400+ staff. In 2022, she was invited to join Medtronic’s Global Officers’ Group to provide transformative leadership and drive organizational growth worldwide. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ariel guided the RI division through triple-digit growth and major marketplace changes, meeting the unprecedented demand for ventilator products. Under her leadership, the operating unit received the 2021 Medtronic Peak Performance Award for its scaled growth and Fast Company’s 2021 World-Changing Ideas Award for Pandemic Response.
Ariel spearheaded Medtronic’s acquisitions of Aircraft Medical in 2017 and SonarMed in 2020 after she uncovered the opportunity, led negotiations and the due diligence process, and managed the integration. Following the transactions, revenue in Aircraft Medical increased from less than $20M to $85M and continues to grow at double-digit rates.
Prior to her tenure at Medtronic, Ariel held several senior-level roles at Johnson & Johnson, including Worldwide Director of Marketing, Assay, & Brand for Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, where she defined global marketing and brand strategy for a $680M pipeline. As US Director of Marketing for Wound Closure, Ariel created business plans and consistently achieved revenue targets exceeding $620M. In her first role at J&J, as Manager of Regulatory Affairs, Ariel partnered with physician advisory groups and the FDA to develop clinical protocols and regulatory strategies.
Ariel is a champion for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, staff mentoring, and talent development. She founded and sponsors the director-level hub in Medtronic’s Women’s Network ERG, which has strengthened engagement, enabled succession planning, and established a supportive, empowering culture for women as they advance in their careers.
Ariel holds an MBA in international marketing from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College. She also serves as a mentor and volunteer for Greenhouse Scholars.