The Top 25 Healthcare Technology CEOs of Europe for 2019

The Healthcare Technology Report is pleased to announce the Top 25 Healthcare Technology CEOs of Europe for 2019.  These highly accomplished executives established an impressive domain of expertise in their chosen specialty and through the years helped build remarkable organizations.  Through their leadership, they've earned the trust and respect from peers, colleagues and professionals across the industry.  The awardees selected for this year's list have demonstrated consistent excellent performance sustained over a period of many years.  Please join us in celebrating the CEOs selected for 2019's Top Healthcare Technology CEOs of Europe.

 

1. Enrico Vita, Amplifon
Country: Italy
Category: Medical Devices

Enrico Vita is the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Amplifon, a global leader in the hearing care retail market. Founded in 1950, the Italian company works with 14,000 people worldwide and has grown its operations to France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, the United States, Hungary, and Egypt. Vita joined Amplifon in 2014 as Executive Vice President EMEA before going on to become Chief Operating Officer, where he was responsible for regions - EMEA, America, and APAC - as well as for corporate functions of marketing, IT and supply chain. In 2015, he succeeded Franco Moscetti as Chief Executive Officer. Vita also currently serves on the Board of Ariston Thermo Spa as the Director. This year, he led the company through its acquisition of Attune Hearing, Australia’s largest independent audiology operator. Before joining Amplifon, Vita spent over 20 years at Indesit Company (formerly Merloni Elettrodomestici). He joined in 1995 and held several roles of varying seniority during his tenure. Notably, he was the Group Supply Chain Officer, Managing Director of UK and Ireland, and eventually Chief Operating Officer.

 

2. Ester Baiget, Novozymes
Country: Denmark
Category: Biotechnology

Ester Baiget is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Novozymes, the world leader in bioinnovation. Established in 2000, the Denmark-based company works with its partners to innovate new solutions and rethink industries around the world. Baiget joined Novozymes this year, succeeding Peder Holk Nielsen. She is an experienced international leader, with the executive's strong track record spanning transformational change and driving profitable growth. Previously, Baiget was the Business President for Dow’s Industrial Solutions business unit and a member of the executive leadership team. Since joining Dow in 1995 as an engineer in Tarragona, Spain she has held various manufacturing, technical, commercial, and strategic roles. During her 25-year tenure, the company underwent quite a large transformation. Notably, Baiget is credited with implementing a clear growth, innovation, and operational strategy that produced strong financial results at Dow. Baiget has a passion for sciences and inspires colleagues and future generations through her role as a STEM ambassador and as an active advocate of the Women’s Innovation Network (WIN).

 

3. Damien McDonald, LivaNova
Country: England
Category: Medical Devices

Damien McDonald is the Chief Executive Officer of LivaNova, a global medical technology company. Headquartered in London, the company was founded in 1987 and has since relentlessly committed to improving patient care across the world. McDonald was previously the company’s appointed Chief Operating Officer. He joined LivaNova from Danaher Corporation where he was the Group Executive and Corporate Vice President and led a $1.5 billion group of dental consumables companies. Earlier in his career, he served as the Group President of Kerr where he oversaw a team focused on growing a strong research and development pipeline while improving operational performance utilizing the Danaher Business System. Before this McDonald led Zimmer’s spine division where he led a strong executive team that created a significant growth trajectory for the business. Earlier in his career, McDonald worked with J&J’s Medical Device Franchises, including Ethicon, where he managed the marketing of the $2.5 billion medical device unit. Notably, McDonald is also currently a non-executive Director of the regenerative medicine company, Avita Medical.

 

4. Stefan Vilsmeier, Brainlab
Country: Germany
Category: Healthcare Software

Self-taught computer programmer, Stefan Vilsmeier is the founder and CEO of Brainlab, a company which began in 1989. Brainlab has been an international company from the start with hospitals in Asia, North America and South Africa as some of its first customers. Today, it generates more than 40 percent of its revenues from the US. Originally focused on software solutions for medical treatments that are more precise, less invasive, and less expensive than traditional methods, Brainlab has extended its value proposition to bringing a new level of integration and patient care to entire medical centers through state-of-the-art access and management of digital medical information. Vilsmeier has received many awards throughout his career; most recently he was appointed to the advisory board for SME of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy.

 

5. Britta Fuenfstueck, Hartmann Group
Country: Germany
Category: Medical Devices

Britta Fuenfstueck is the Chief Executive Officer at Hartmann Group, a leading global provider of medical and hygiene products. Founded in 1818, the Hartmann Group has been driving healthcare forward with new innovations and achievements for over 200 years. In 2018, Britta joined Hartmann as the company's new Chief Executive Officer charged with taking the company into its next stage. With over 20 years of chief executive and healthcare industry experience, Britta values people and culture above all else in a company, citing it as the core reason for joining Hartmann. Before this, Britta was at Clariant, a leader in specialty chemicals where she was a member of the executive committee. In this role, she was responsible for the Plastics & Coatings business, as well as several corporate functions. Previously, she was at Siemens for 16-years, working as a Manager of Siemens Healthcare where she was tasked with portfolio planning, marketing, business development, and product management. She also headed the company's strategy as well as its mergers and acquisitions. Britta began her career in 1998 as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group.

 

6. Gordon Sanghera, Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Country: England
Category: Genetics

Dr. Gordon Sanghera is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a developer of nanopore-based electronic systems for analyzing single molecules, including DNA, RNA, and proteins. Founded in 2005, the Oxfordshire-based company's electronic-based DNA and RNA sequencing technology is utilized in more than 80 countries. Dr. Sanghera has over 20 years of experience in the design, development, and global launch of disruptive platform sensor technologies. Previously, he was at Medisense, an Oxford spin-out that delivered a new generation of glucose technology to the market. Following the acquisition of MediSense by Abbott Laboratories, Dr. Sanghera was the Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Research Director, and Manufacturing Process Development Director. Before its purchase by Abbott, he led the research and development of Medisense. He was pivotal to the launch of several generations of blood glucose bio-electronic systems for the consumer and hospital medical markets. Notably, he’s developed and validated production processes to meet with the regulatory requirements for the USA and Europe.

 

7. Mariusz Gralewski, DocPlanner
Country: Poland
Category: Healthcare Software

Mariusz Gralewski is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DocPlanner, a healthcare booking platform and management software provider. Headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, the company has been offering its integrated end-to-end solution since 2011 to help doctors, patients, and practices navigate the healthcare system more efficiently. Gralewski has since built out DocPlanner into one of the largest players in the online healthcare booking sector globally. DocPlanner helps over 7 million patients every month to find an appropriate medical specialist in their neighborhood. On DocPlanner, patients also have access to a rapidly growing database of over 1.4 million specialists, who they can schedule an appointment with using the doctor's calendar. Previously, Gralewski founded his first company, GoldenLine.pl, while still studying Computer Science at the Technical University of Warsaw. After divesting a significant personal stake in Goldenline.pl to a media conglomerate, Gralewski tried angel investing as part of Protos VC where he invested in 10 companies. He is currently an Investor at PushPushGo.

 

8. Simon Michel, Ypsomed Holding
Country: Switzerland
Category: Medical Devices

Simon Michel is the Chief Executive Officer of Ypsomed Holding, a leading developer and manufacturer of injection and infusion systems for self-medication renowned for its specialty in diabetes research. Since it was established in 2003, the Switzerland company has grown its operations across the world, becoming the preferred partner for pharmaceutical and biotech companies for the supply of pens, autoinjectors, and infusion systems to administer liquid drugs. Michel joined the company in 2006, as the Business Development Manager of Diabetes Care before going on to become Vice President of Infusion Business and Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales. He was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in 2014 where he oversees the strategic growth of the company. Before Ypsomed, Michel was at Orange Communications for two years as a Corporate Program Manager and most recently Segment Manager of New Businesses. Previously he was a Business Analyst at Arthur D. Little and a Project Manager at Disetronic Medical Systems. Since 2006, Michel has also been the Director of Sphinx Werkzeuge.

 

9. Jean-Christophe Tellier, UCB Pharma
Country: Belgium
Category: Biotechnology

Jean-Christophe Tellier is the Chief Executive Officer of UCB Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical and specialty chemical company that specializes in two therapeutic areas: diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) and immunology. The Belgium-based company was founded in 1928 and has brought several innovative drugs to patients across the world, including Cimzia, Vimpat, and Briviact. Tellier joined UCB in 2011, as Executive Vice President of European Operations, before moving up the ladder and being appointed as CEO in 2015. With over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, Tellier has developed a holistic view of patient care, which he implements into his role at UCB. Tellier is currently a member of the UCB Board of Directors, President of the Board of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Associations, a member of the Board of PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) and a member of the Board of WELBIO (Walloon Institute for Life Lead Sciences). Notably, he is a trained medical doctor with a specialization in rheumatology. Previously, he was at Ipsen as President and General Manager of North America, the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Macrogenics, and spent over eight years at Novartis most recently as the CEO of Novartis France and Global Health of Arthritis and Bone Franchise.

 

10. Edward Breen, Danisco - Dupont
Country: Denmark
Category: Advanced Materials

Edward Breen is the Chief Executive Officer at Dupont, a sustainable solutions provider for agriculture, electronics, communications, construction, transportation, and apparel markets. Established in 1802, the Delaware-based company has been innovating and reinventing technology-driven solutions for over 200 years. Since being appointed as CEO this year, Breen is tasked with overseeing the strategic direction of the company and execution of DuPont’s priorities for value creation as it unlocks the full potential of its distinctive capabilities, innovative portfolio, application expertise, and deep customer relationships. Prior to this, Breen has served as the Executive Chairman of Dupont since 2019, and previously was the Chief Executive Officer of DowDuPont. Preceding the merger of DuPont and The Dow Chemical Company he was the Chairman and CEO of Dupont since 2015. His return marks the company's trust in the industry's veteran's leadership style. Before his tenure at DuPont, Breen served as the CEO and Chairman of Tyco International, and the President and CEO of Motorola. He was also the Chairman, President, and CEO of General Instrument Corporation which was later acquired by Motorola. Along with his role at Dupo, Breen is currently a director of Comcast Corporation and a member of the advisory board of New Mountain Capital.

 

11. Christophe Weber, Shire - Takeda
Country: Jersey
Category: Genetics

Christophe Weber is President and Chief Executive Officer of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, a research-based pharmaceutical company. Established in 1781, the Japanese research and development company focused on oncology, rare diseases, neurosciences, and gastroenterology. Weber joined the company in April 2014 as Chief Operating Officer and was appointed as President and Representative Director by June that same year. In 2015, he was named CEO. In his current position, Weber is tasked with overseeing Takeda’s research and development, transformation, globalization, and building a diverse and inclusive workforce. Before joining Takeda, Weber was at GlaxoSmithKline for 20 years. He went from being the Vice President of Corporate Development and being the CEO's right-hand man, to becoming the President and CEO of France, and eventually Senior Vice President and Regional Director of Asia Pacific. For three years, he was the President and General Manager of GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines, a worldwide vaccine leader and a fully integrated division that included research and development as well as manufacturing.

 

12. Jakob Just-Bomholt, 3Shape
Country: Denmark
Category: Medical Devices

Jakob Just-Bomholt is the Chief Executive Officer of 3Shape, a company changing dental care with innovative technology-based solutions. Founded in 2000, the Denmark company creates 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software solutions to improve patient care for dental and audiology professionals worldwide. Just-Bomholt was appointed as CEO this year, leaving his position as Executive Vice President of Falck A/S, a global emergency and healthcare company. With a proven leadership track record and a wide scope of business experience, Just-Bomholt is charged with continuing 3Shape’s consistent growth, including a strong focus on leading with innovation. Previously at Falck, Just-Bomholt headed the company's Emergency Service division, comprising 14,000 employees worldwide. Before this, he was the CEO of APM Terminals. Just-Bomholt spent 20 years at A.P. Moller-Maersk in roles of increasing seniority, including as Managing Director and General Manager. In 2011, he successfully started a new business at A.P. Moller-Maersk, the Seago Line, which he was the CEO of until 2015.

 

13. Joacim Lindoff, Arjo AB
Country: Sweden
Category: Medical Devices

Joacim Lindoff is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Arjo AB, a leading provider of solutions that reduce mobility and age-related health challenges. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, the company was founded in 1957 and has since grown into a global supplier of medical devices, services, and solutions that span patient handling, hygiene, disinfection, medical beds, therapeutic surfaces, venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention, and diagnostics. Lindoff became the company’s CEO in 2017 following Arjo’s split with Getinge, which acquired the company in 1995. That same year, under Lindoff’s leadership Arjo prepared its public listing, which they achieved on time at the end of 2017. Before the spin-off, Lindoff was at Getinge for almost nine years, where he was President of Nordic Sales and Services, Executive Vice President of Getinge Infection Control, Executive Vice President of Surgical Workflows, and Acting CEO Getinge Group. In 2010, Lindoff was appointed Chairman of Swedish Medtech, the Stockholm medical technology industry association.

 

14. Jorg Thomas Dierks, Meda
Country: Sweden
Category: Biotechnology

Jorg Thomas Dierks is the CEO of Meda, a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Solna, Sweden.  The company is supported by over 5,200 employees and its products are sold in more than 150 countries.  It was listed on the Stockholm stock market until it was acquired by Mylan in 2016.  Dierks has been leading the company since 2005 first as its COO, a role he remained in for eight years.  He then transitioned to the CEO position in 2013.  Previously, Dierks was the COO and a member of the board of directors for Viatris, Germany-base company, and prior to that was with ASTA Medica AG for seven years culminating in his role as Senior VP Europe and International Trade Business.  He started his professional career with Gruenenthal.  Dierks is a medical doctor by training; he earned his Doctor of Medicine from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

 

15. Arndt Rolfs, MD, Centogene
Country: Germany
Category: Genetics

Arndt Rolfs is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Centogene, a world leader in the field of genetic diagnostics for rare diseases dedicated to improving patients’ lives. Headquartered in Germany, Rolf has been at the head of the company since its inception in 2006. The executive brings a wealth of medical and scientific expertise and is notably a licensed medical doctor. He’s been Head of the Neurobiological Research Laboratory and Vice-Director of the Neurological clinic and outpatient department at the University of Rostock since 1998. In 2008, Rolf was appointed as the Director of the Albrecht-Kossel-Institute for Neuroregeneration at the University of Rostock. Notably, he is a principal investigator of several international multicenter studies in the area of rare diseases. This includes, the Sifap project, which is the most extensive study in the world of young stroke patients. As an industry thought leader, Rolf has been published in several medical and scientific publications and acts as a consultant for biotech companies around the world. He’s the Co-Founder of Arcensus AG and Genebanking.

 

16. Paulo Barradas Rebelo, Bluepharma
Country: Portugal
Category: Pharmaceuticals

Paulo Barradas Rebelo is the Chief Executive Officer of Bluepharma, a pharmaceutical company that deals with the production, development, and marketing of pharmaceutical drugs. Established in 2001, the Portugal-based company has opened offices in Spain, Angola, Mozambique, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, and USA and exported 85% of its production to more than 40 countries. Rebelo has been the company's CEO since its inception. Armed with a dream of having his own industrial operation, Rebelo, alongside his three partners, Isolina Mesquita, Sergio Simoes, and Miguel Silvestre, negotiated with Bayer to purchase a plant the pharmaceutical giant was selling. Beating out 100 other applicants, this group of four young professionals succeeded, and Bluepharma was born. For Rebelo, this passion runs through his blood, as a grandson of a physician and pharmacist. Recently, Rebelo has ventured into becoming a hotelier with his partner, Ana Isabel Rebelo, who together opened Torre De Palma Wine Hotel.

 

17. Tomas Blomquist, Biotage
Country: Sweden
Category: Analytical Chemistry

Tomas Blomquist is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Biotage, a provider of efficient separation technologies and high-quality solutions for analytical chemistry. Founded in 1969, the Scandinavian global life science company has clients than span public authorities, academic institutions, pharmaceutical, and food industries, among others. In 2019, Tomas was appointed as the CEO of Biotage, tasked with continuing the company’s fruitful development. With more than 25 years of experience, Tomas is a veteran within the healthcare industry and has a specialization in the field of diagnostics and medtech. Previously, he was the Vice President EMEA Cardiometabolic at Abbott and at Alere where he was the Managing Director of Nordic and Western Europe. Before this, he spent over four years at Analyticon Biotechnologies where he began as General Manager of Northern and Eastern Europe, before being appointed Vice President and eventually President of the company. Prior to Analyticon, Tomas spent eight years at Johnson & Johnson as the Nordic Business Unit Director and at Roche as Sales Manager of Patient Care in Sweden.

 

18. Patrice Taisson, Softway Medical
Country: France
Category: Healthcare Software

Patrice Taisson has been the CEO of Softway Medical for nearly 20 years and today the company serves over 1,100 health facilities. The company offers technology for ICU, acute care, surgery, oncology, paediatrics, mental health, and elderly care centers. Its solutions include a hospital management platform, administration management functionality, diagnotics, pharmacist solutions as well as follow-up treatment management. For more than 25 years, the company has been committed to improving the performance of care.  Its aim is to place the healthcare professional at the heart of the healthcare system and provide the tools for optimizing the performance of their profession, for the benefit of the patient. Before joining Softway Medical in 2003, Taisson was the Director General of WAID, a government administration organization. He graduated from the Universite de Nice-Sophie Antipolis.

 

19. Dr. Werner Lanthaler, Evotec
Country: Germany
Category: Biotechnology
Dr. Werner Lanthaler is the Chief Executive Officer of Evotec, a drug discovery alliance and development partnership company. Since its inception in 1993, the German company has rapidly progressed innovative approaches to products alongside leading pharmaceutical and biotech firms, venture capitalists, academics, and patient advocacy groups. Dr. Lanthaler joined the company in 2009 when he was tapped to take the company to its next level of success. With a proven track record in business and corporate development, as well as his strong sense for the creation of shareholder value, Dr. Lanthaler’s expertise positions him as a valued industry thought leader. Previously, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Intercell AG in Vienna, Austria, a global biopharmaceutical leader dedicated to the development of vaccines. In this role, he was also responsible for business development as well as marketing and sales and played a pivotal role in the company’s major corporate milestones. During his tenure, Intercell developed from a venture-backed biotechnology company into a global vaccine player. Before this, he served as Director of the Federation of Austrian Industry, and as Senior Management Consultant at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

 

20. Mark Quick, Recipharm
Country: Sweden
Category: Contract Development and Manufacturing

Mark Quick, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development of Recipharm was appointed Chief Executive Officer following Recipharm’s acquisition of Consort Medical. In this new role, he is tasked with leading the Consort business through the transition and integration process. The UK-based company is an integrated drug and delivery device provider, offering advanced delivery technologies, formulation and manufacturing services for drugs. In the acquisition Recipharm will support Consort’s Bespak division as a standalone business, continuing to supply customers with competitive and innovative inhalation and other devices. During his almost 15-year tenure at Recipharm, Quick has held several roles of increasing responsibility, joining as Associate Director of Business Development, and then Vice President of Corporate Development. Previously, Quick was the Head of Business Development at Celltech for six years, Account Manager as well as Demand Manager at Medeva Pharma, and began his career as an Area Manager at ICI Chemicals and Polymers where he spent seven years.

 

21. Chris Meredith, Advanced Medical Solutions Group
Country: England
Category: Wound Care

Chris Meredith is the Chief Executive Officer at Advanced Medical Solutions, a developer and manufacturer of world-leading advanced wound care and wound closure products. Headquartered in Cheshire, England the company was founded in 1991 and has since utilized its specialist knowledge to design, develop and manufacture innovative and technologically advanced offerings. Meredith was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in 2011 and has spent over 15 years with the company, previously as the Chief Operating Officer, and joining as Managing Director and Group Commercial Director in 2005. Upon joining the company, Meredith had 18 successful years in international healthcare sales, marketing, and business development. Previously, Meredith was a Commercial Director at Banner PharmaCaps, Commercial Director at Aster.Cephac, and Head of Business Development at Cardinal Health. Notably, his almost six-year tenure at RP Scherer saw Meredith work as an Export Sales and Marketing Manager and Export Regional Manager. Prior to this, he was at Smith Industries and Marion Merrell Dow. In 2018, he was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of Creavo Medical Technologies, a UK-based medical device company developing innovative diagnostic techniques for use in acute medical settings.

 

22. Giorgio Moretti, Dedalus
Country: Italy
Category: Healthcare Software

Giorgio Moretti is the CEO of Dedalus, a leading provider of healthcare IT software in Europe. It was founded in 1990 as currently has over 30 offices across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Over 5,000 hospitals and 4,800 laboratories around the world are supported by Dedalus solutions. Moretti’s involvement with Dedalus can be traced back to his years as a medical student, when he founded Quasar Spa, a healthcare and finance software solutions company, which led to a joint venture with Datamat. Dedalus was later spun out of Datamat and Moretti decided to focus his efforts there. Over a six year period he grew revenue by 10X while becoming the market leading provider in Italy, China, South Africa, LATAM and other countries worldwide. Today, Dedalus employs over 3,400 highly skilled resources and has the largest R&D software team in the sector in Europe with more than 1,100 people.

 

23. Carlos Buesa, Oryzon Genomics
Country: Spain
Category: Genomics

Carlos Buesa is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oryzon Genomics, a public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Founded in 2000, the Madrid-based company is a leader in epigenetic medicine - a field of fascination for its links to cancer - and develops therapies in diseases with a strong unmet medical need. The company recently announced the success of its lead candidate, ORY-1001, in Phase I for acute leukemia. Buesa has held his executive position since its inception and continues to play a pivotal role in its success. Under his leadership, Oryzon has been listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange since 2015. In recent years, he has been a member of the board of several biotechnology companies, including Oncnosis Pharma, Ninfas, Orycamb-project, Geadig Pharma, Neurotec Pharma, and Palobiofarma. In the past, he was a member of the Advisory Board of Neurosciences Technologies and is currently a member of Mendelion Lifesciences, an early-stage biotech company.

 

24. Dennis Schipper, Demcon
Country: Netherlands
Category: Medical Devices

Dennis Schipper is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Demcom, a supplier of high-end technology products and systems such as opto mechatronics, robotic and medical systems. Demcon was founded in Enschede in 1993 by Schipper and his partner Peter Rutgers, who knew each other from the University of Twente. Schipper had just completed a four-year Ph.D. assignment on the opportunities and possibilities of mechatronics and the combination of collaborative engineering disciplines, such as electrical engineering and control systems engineering. Over the past 25 years, Demcon has grown to become the Demcon Group, with several branches in the Netherlands, Germany, and Singapore, and clients across the world. In 2018, Schipper spearheaded the acquisition of Hemics, a developer of technology for monitoring rheumatism patients. Schipper has a great vision for Demcon, one that puts the company at the center of it all. "Whenever there are major developments or initiatives," he says. "We are part of the conversation, we put forward ideas and contribute our knowledge and experience."

 

25. Paul Swinney, Tristel
Country: England
Category: Medical Disinfectants

Paul Swinney is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Tristel Global, a market-leading infection control products specialist. Since its inception in 1993, Swinney has been the Chief Executive and a shareholder in the Cambridgeshire-based company. Now, 27 years later, Tristel’s instrument disinfectants are used in 60% of all hospitals in the country and its cutting edge product lines, which include surface and skin disinfectant solutions, foams, and wipes have taken on competitors like Johnson & Johnson. Today the company has three brands, under Tristel the company offers hospital infection prevention, with Crystel it provides contamination control in the pharmaceutical and personal care industry, and under the Anistel brand it offers animal health infection prevention. Swinney left behind an illustrious career in banking to jump into the medtech sector. “I grew tired of the power-hungry, class-conscious environment in the City,” he said. “It was financially rewarding, of course, but I found it suffocating.” Swinney started his career with Brown, Shipley & Co in 1980. He worked for the European banking operations of Norwest Bank Minneapolis and Maryland National Bank, before joining OSI Finance, a specialist in shipping finance in 1987.