Adam Gunn is the Director of Marketing – Sales Enablement and Medical Education for Stryker’s Orthopaedic Instruments (OI) division and currently resides in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. We sat down with Adam to learn more about what his life is like in and outside of Stryker.
Why did you join Stryker?
I was actually unaware of the profession until after I fractured my neck and I learned about the company and the role of the medical device sales representative through my Orthopaedic surgeon. It immediately sparked my interest; I started networking and I ended up earning a job. The decision to pursue a career with Stryker is one of the best decisions that I have made in my life.
Describe your role and what a day in your life looks like.
I am a Director of Marketing for the Orthopaedic Instruments (OI) business. My focus is Sales Enablement and Medical Education. Essentially, we are responsible for the education of our salesforce and our customers on the proper use of our equipment. Daily, I am connecting with our Sales Enablement and MedEd Managers to be a resource and work alongside them to grow our functions and ultimately have a positive impact on the OI business. In order to be successful, we connect with our OI Downstream Marketing, Upstream Marketing and Marketing Communication teams, as well as our cross-divisional counterparts to ensure alignment in our initiatives and daily activity. Beyond my traditional responsibilities, I am the Attraction Lead for the employee resource group, Stryker’s African Ancestry Network. I am responsible for helping our Talent Acquisition teams attract top black talent to the organization. I play a role in the planning and execution of diversity recruiting strategies and events. I truly enjoy connecting with talented black professionals that may not be aware of Stryker and educating them on how Stryker could be a life-changing opportunity for them and their families. Also, when time allows, I connect with my mentors, mentees and friends around the company to have casual and developmental conversations. I genuinely love what I do and who I do it with!
What has been your career path?
I have been with Stryker since 2010. I was fortunate to land a job with Stryker after completing graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh. I started as a Sales Associate for Orthopaedics. Shortly after, I became a Sales Representative for Sports Medicine, Trauma, Foot and Ankle and Joint Replacement over a 4-year period. After that, I was a Surgical Sales Representative for 5 years, a Regional Manager for a little over 2 years and have now been in my current role since 2021.
Do you have any regrets in your career? Is there anything you would have done differently?
No regrets! I try my best to not live in the past and focus on the future. Everything happens for a reason. If my career decisions have led me to where I am today, I am very happy with the decisions that were made.
What is life like outside of Stryker?
We are a Stryker household. My wife also works for Stryker as a Sales Representative for the Medical Division. We have two daughters, Jazlyn and Jada. They are both active in sports and Taekwondo. Beyond that, we love to travel, attend Pitt football games, spend time with friends and family and mix in trips to Disney World, Universal Studios and other amusement parks.
Tell us something about yourself that people don't know.
I have faced a decent amount of adversity in my life but talking to me you would not know it because of my positive outlook on life. I have adopted the life motto of, "Life is 10% about what happens to you and 90% how you respond." I am a firm believer that you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to despite any of the challenges or adversity you must overcome. My advice to anyone reading this is: focus on the good, learn from the bad and surround yourself with people that make you better.