Putting People First on Every Team: Former Orange Soccer Player Sean Boyle ’01 Leads Through Relationships

Sean Boyle’s life revolves around relationships. Whether he’s talking about work, family or mentoring Syracuse student-athletes, it’s clear that he thrives on human connection.

“People are first in everything I’ve ever done,” says Boyle, who graduated in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing management from the Whitman School, played defense on the Syracuse men’s soccer team and today is vice president and general manager of global oncology at medical device giant BD.

With his orientation toward relationships, it is no surprise that Boyle particularly enjoyed group projects that allowed him to work with other students and apply what they were learning in class. “I remember working through case studies and dissecting how businesses function, why they fail or how they win, putting together portfolio strategies. Those are the things that I remember the most,” he says. 

After graduation, Boyle wasn’t interested in simply having a job. He wanted a company that would support his growth. He started out in the leadership development program at Phillip Morris, at the time the parent company of Nabisco and Kraft Foods. The program invested in young leaders, teaching them skills from negotiation to professionalism.

After a few years, Boyle transitioned to pharmaceutical sales for Johnson & Johnson. In 2005, he started at C.R. Bard. There, he sold medical devices for the surgical setting and says he was fascinated with the work of the surgeons he met. He recalls thinking, “This is so cool that I get to work with these really smart people and see our products help people on the spot.”

CULTURE AT THE CORE

Although he did not have a medical background, Boyle quickly adapted to the setting.

“You learn through the training that they provide, you learn disease states, you learn products and so on,” he says. “The foundation of any industry, it’s about people … whether it’s a solution or a service, you can learn the market, the product and value proposition, but at the core, it’s about creating an accountable, resilient and winning culture to drive results.”

Boyle held roles in sales and management at C.R. Bard. In 2017, it was acquired by BD. Although it was challenging to combine two companies with different philosophies and cultures, Boyle says he approached the transition with a “curious, learning mindset” and a focus on serving customers and impacting patients throughout the world. 

Boyle has been in BD’s oncology division since 2021, where he says he enjoys being in a business unit that is close to the patient, where he can see the products in the care pathway. Boyle makes time at least once a week to talk directly to customers, often the doctors and health care executives who see the products in action. He says he asks them, “If you lose sleep at night what is it about?”

SUPPORT ON AND OFF THE FIELD

Boyle credits his own support system, now and in the past, with his success. He grew up near the Syracuse campus and wanted to study business at a school near home. “The Whitman School was definitely a big driver for my decision when I was looking at schools,” he says. 

During his time as a student-athlete, he would periodically bring his soccer teammates to his parents’ house in Manlius. “I could bring 20-plus hungry soccer players over there on a Sunday night, and my mom would make us food,” he recalls. His younger brother, Kevin Boyle, was also a member of the Orange soccer team; they played together for two years. Today, Boyle’s support system includes his wife, Julie, and three children, ages 6 to 11.

In addition to leading BD’s $1 billion business providing devices from diagnosis to treatment for patients, Boyle has found the time to co-found SUccess, a new program started in 2023 to pair Syracuse soccer players with mentors and job opportunities.

Perhaps remembering those who supported him as an athlete and young professional, Boyle created SUccess together with Syracuse soccer teammate Neeraj Chopra ’00, who also was a classmate in the MBA program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. 

According to Boyle, the SUccess program draws upon the expansive global network of Syracuse soccer alumni, many of whom came through the Whitman School, to help the team prepare for a professional life off the field. Boyle says it is one of only a few programs of its kind for collegiate soccer teams in the U.S. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to give back and make a positive impact on the program, student athletes and Syracuse University,” he says.

Looking back over all the phases of his education and career, Boyle says, “In every chapter of my life, whether it was Syracuse, business school, the organization or soccer team, it’s always been about the people and relationships and being able to align on that common goal. I am incredibly grateful for the many talented people I’ve had the privilege to work with, learn from and lead.”

By Suzi Morales