Nearly three decades ago, Craig Gallivan ‘00 followed in his family’s footsteps and decided to pursue an undergraduate degree at StFX. Now a senior leader in North American medical tech, he credits his alma mater with instilling in him the values and drive that have been key to his success.
Craig approaches leadership with a deep sense of purpose – motivated not just by business goals, but by delivering meaningful health outcomes through accessible, patient-centered technologies.
A LEGACY CONTINUED
Craig was born in Calgary, AB and moved to Cole Harbour, NS at a young age when his mother, Barb and father, Paul, both Cape Bretoners with StFX teaching degrees, returned to Nova Scotia. Like his parents and several extended family members, he envisioned himself attending StFX one day; this came to fruition when he enrolled in the StFX Bachelor of Business Administration program in 1996.
Craig came to the field of business honestly, his father having pivoted from teaching to a career in pharmaceutical sales. To make his own mark, though, Craig knew he would have to work hard – and StFX was the perfect place to cultivate that discipline.
“You had to rise to the occasion. That pressure prepared me for the real world,” he says of the academic rigour and high expectations he encountered at StFX. Craig reminisces about professors like Dr. Kent Young, who he “adored to the end of the earth,” and Dr. Pat Hogan, his “favourite professor of all time,” who took a tough-love approach to motivating her students.
Craig lived in MacNeil House for two years while at StFX, and held several roles in addition to being a student – from serving as an RA and a campus police officer to DJing at the Golden X Inn and running the Inn’s website.
DRIVEN TO SUCCEED
After graduation, Craig found a place for his well-rounded skillset in Canada's high-tech sector. He would quickly move to pharmaceuticals, where like his father, he excelled in sales while helping expand access to medical therapies.
Then, opportunity called to him from south of the border. Seeking career growth and attracted by warmer weather, Craig moved to South Carolina at age 33 when his employer, Merck, offered him a transfer to their U.S. team.
A decade later, Craig had remarried and relocated to Texas, where he now serves as the national Vice-President of Sales for the American branch of global medical tech company Compumedics. He leads the home sleep testing division, overseeing operations throughout North America, including the recent launch of two newly approved diagnostic devices in Canada.
To support the company’s Canadian expansion, Craig says he had to re-learn his home country’s healthcare system: “It’s been humbling to reconnect with what Canada is as a healthcare entity. I had to become a student again.”
Craig’s commitment to lifelong learning includes his current pursuit of an MBA through Texas A&M University, which he balances with a demanding career that involves extensive travel.
ALWAYS A XAVERIAN
On the road, Craig's X-Ring presents regular opportunities to talk about his alma mater.
“I get asked about my X-Ring all the time. People are fascinated by it,” he says. He considers it to be a family ring – not only are Craig's parents alumni, but his two younger siblings (Maureen ’02 and Christopher ‘08) graduated from StFX, making them a “five for five” X-Ring family.
Twenty-five years after his graduation, Craig’s Xaverian identity continues to inspire his work ethic and pursuit of excellence. There is nothing that he doesn’t feel prepared for, he says, when he thinks back to his four years as a hardworking StFX BBA student.
A recent medical scare was a test of this resilience, leading Craig to make lifestyle changes to prioritize his health. At 47, he says he’s ready to seize the next wave of opportunities and challenges that life has in store.
