Brandon Sawalich – Innovation Is About People
In 2020, Brandon Sawalich was named President & CEO of Starkey, the culmination of a life’s passion for connecting people through better hearing. More than 25 years ago, Brandon started in Starkey’s hearing aid repair department. Since then, he has worked in virtually every corner of the business, learning every aspect of the hearing healthcare industry. He uses that extensive experience to lead Starkey to the forefront of medtech innovation.
Nearly three decades in the hearing industry have taught Brandon Sawalich that business starts with how you treat people. Better hearing requires a human approach. This starts with developing technology with the patient’s wellbeing at the core, and then bringing art and science together to manufacture every single hearing aid. It ends with the expertise of the trained hearing professional who provides personalized service and care to the patient. Starkey believes the hearing professional must be involved for the best outcomes for hearing loss patients. That’s why in the fall of 2021, Starkey launched Listen Carefully, an initiative aimed at bridging the conversation between hearing healthcare providers and lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
Brandon leads a team of over 5,000 people around the globe who are challenging the limits of technology. He is committed to making Starkey better every day with cutting-edge products that help people live better lives, by delivering the industry’s best customer service and by employing the brightest minds in the business who know that it all starts with caring.
Brandon Sawalich believes in the power of kindness and is involved in a variety of philanthropic and community-based ventures in the Twin Cities and beyond, including Starkey’s corporate social responsibility arm, Starkey Cares, which provides hearing health assistance to those in need. In 2022, Starkey announced a global partnership with Special Olympics to provide hearing health technology and care for thousands of athletes with disabilities around the world. The partnership will also increase training for hearing health professionals to care for those with disabilities. Brandon has been a longtime supporter of Special Olympics Minnesota. He has also volunteered with Starkey Hearing Foundation.
In 2019, Brandon was named to the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Executive Advisory Council. He served as Board Chair for the Hearing Industries Association from 2017-2021 and is currently the board’s Treasurer.