Survivor

Originally Published MX September/October 2001

COVER STORY

Timothy C. Mickelson, CEO of Philips Medical Systems ATL, prepares to guide the world's first billion-dollar ultrasound company into the marketplace.

Interview by Greg Freiherr

It has been the hardest-fought, most-bitterly battled ground in the medical device arena—the corporate equivalent of trench warfare. The prize was bragging rights to world leadership in diagnostic ultrasound. For a long time, Toshiba (Tokyo) held claim to the title, while the lucrative U.S. marketplace was ruled by midsize specialty companies.