October 30, 2026
By Madison Maxwell BA 18
When David Floyd arrived at Grace College at 19, he had no master plan. He certainly did not envision a 39-year career that would take him to the highest levels of the global medical technology industry. Nor did he expect to serve as a senior executive at companies including Zimmer, DePuy, Abbott, and Stryker, where he led a group of orthopedic and spine businesses generating more than $5 billion in annual revenue.
His career has included turnarounds, acquisitions, organizational transformations, and building leadership teams worldwide that shape the future of orthopedic care.
But Floyd’s path to the C-suite was never a carefully plotted climb.
In fact, his place in leadership developed organically. As a double major in psychology and speech communication, he didn’t realize he was preparing for the corporate world, but after entering the orthopedic industry, he recognized how foundational understanding people and communicating clearly were to the roles he filled.
Perhaps Floyd’s most enduring professional legacy is found in the people he developed. He intentionally built teams strong enough to function without him, often preparing individuals to eventually take his place — and that philosophy has extended beyond his career.
Today, Floyd and his wife, Lisa, whom he met at Grace, intentionally invest their time and resources in organizations whose work aligns with their Christian values, including ministries serving persecuted Christians, providing clean water and sanitation, caring for vulnerable children, and meeting practical needs in their community. Floyd now serves on several nonprofit and corporate boards and continues to advise leaders in the medical technology and private equity sectors. He is a Colson Fellow with the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, is actively involved in leadership positions at his church, and serves on the Grace School of Business Advisory Council.
Through it all, Floyd points to three “load-bearing pillars” beneath his success:
1. The biblical values instilled by his parents
2. The Christian education that shaped his understanding of work and the world
3. His wife’s steadfast support.
For Floyd, these are the most fitting measures of a life well lived. Floyd’s résumé is marked by accomplishments, accolades, and decades of service. Yet perhaps what is most striking is that he is utterly convinced God’s not finished with him yet.
Learn more about how Grace College’s liberal arts core courses prepare students for whatever God calls them to next.
