Category: News

The MiniMed 670G is an insulin pump system which automatically self-adjusts to deliver people living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) precise amounts of insulin when they need it – regardless of whether they are asleep or on the go. The only technology of its type approved in Australia, the insulin pump system intuitively administers insulin as needed and also withholds insulin release when a drop in sugar levels is detected – a long-awaited breakthrough in the Australian diabetes community in their quest to better manage the chronic disease.  The system is designed to learn an individual’s insulin needs by measuring the glucose level of people living with T1D every five minutes and to take action to minimise both high and low glucose levels. As a result, the technology requires minimal input providing peace of mind for the users.

The other Awards recipients included:

• George Faithfull, Stryker VP of Government & Regulatory Affairs – Outstanding Achievement in MedTech;
• Steven Flynn, Baxter Healthcare ANZ MD – Women in MedTech Champion (individual); and
• Baxter Healthcare – Women in MedTech Champion (company).

The Outstanding Achievement Award is open to individuals who have contributed in a significant way to the development of the medical technology industry through improvement to patient outcomes or excellence in leadership and innovation.

This year, George celebrates 35 years at Stryker – an incredible achievement. This award recognises the significant contribution he has made to the MedTech industry, locally and globally over his 35 years of service.

George started his MedTech career working for Howmedica in 1984 where he held various positions across Sales, Marketing, Clinical Research and R&D, eventually progressing to General Manager. Over the years, George has hired a number of people into the MedTech Industry who have since gone on to hold senior positions for various medical companies and had a big impact on the MedTech industry themselves. During his time in the MedTech Industry, George has been passionate about learning and promoting the use of science and technology to improve patient outcomes. George has presented extensively on Regulatory requirements around the world, at Universities, Scientific meetings and Government Forums, and published papers on Joint Replacement Wear and Bone Substitute Materials.

Women in MedTech (WiMT) is a Board led initiative which started in July 2015 in response to the gap of women in leadership positions across the industry. The Women in MedTech Champion is awarded to an individual or a company who has contributed to advancing the WiMT goals, and was this year awarded to Steven Flynn, GM ANZ of Baxter Healthcare. Steve Flynn has actively championed the WiMT Agenda, serving as a Mentor within the MTAA Mentoring program which provides opportunities for female MTAA members to access leaders to assist in achieving their career goals supporting women to unlock their full potential.

The Women in MedTech Company Champion was awarded to Baxter Healthcare. For the fourth consecutive year, Baxter Healthcare was once again named among the top 100 companies in Australia for gender equality. The Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency cited Baxter as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality.

Baxter is committed to benchmark metrics on the ratio of women with its Senior Leadership Team in Australia currently 7 women and 11 men.

 Ian Burgess, Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Technology Association of Australia said:

 “The MTAA Annual Industry Awards are an opportunity to recognise our members and individuals who have contributed to improving patient outcomes through MedTech.

“This year we received a record number of entries, a clear indication of the hard work and innovation that goes on every day in the MedTech industry.

“It’s inspiring to be part of the medical technology industry that every day is focused on improving the health and wellbeing of patients.”

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Marene Allison, Chief Information Security Officer, Johnson & Johnson, Worldwide Vice President Information Security & Risk Management

Marene Allison is responsible for protecting Johnson & Johnson’s Information Technology (IT) systems and data worldwide through elimination and mitigation of cyber security risk. This includes ensuring that the information security posture supports business growth objectives, protects public trust in the Johnson & Johnson brand, and meets legal/regulatory requirements. With 265 companies in over 60 countries, Johnson & Johnson is a leader in consumer health, pharmaceutical products, and medical devices worldwide.

Marene will provide an overview of the global landscape for cyber security and also the impacts on healthcare more specifically, focusing on where it relates to medical devices and more importantly on software for medical devices.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”4053″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

Adjunct Professor John Skerritt, Deputy Secretary for Health Products Regulation, Department of Health

Adjunct Professor John Skerritt joined the Department of Health in May 2012 and is currently the Deputy Secretary, Health Products Regulation Group. As a Deputy Secretary, he contributes to the stewardship of Australia’s health system, as well as having direct responsibility for both the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Office of Drug Control.

TGA’s 2019 Action Plan released earlier this year articulates the Australian national regulator’s strategy to strengthen and improve the regulatory regime for medical devices in Australia. Public consultations on proposed changes to regulations and regulatory guidelines have progressed at a sustained pace, making these the most significant changes to the medical devices regulations since the introduction of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989. Adjunct Prof John Skerritt will provide an overview of the regulatory changes and explain the implications for sponsors, manufacturers, patients and users of medical devices.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”4054″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

The Hon Chris Bowen, Shadow Minister for Health

Chris Bowen entered Parliament in 2004 and has held a wide range of portfolios including serving as Treasurer, Minister for Human Services, Minister for Immigration, Minister for Financial Services, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Competition Policy, Minister for Small Business and Minister for Tertiary Education. Chris has been responsible for a range of significant policy reform programs in these portfolios. He served as Interim Leader of the Labor Party and Acting Leader of the Opposition following the 2013 Federal election and served as Shadow Treasurer. He is now the Shadow Minister for Health.

The political landscape has changed dramatically over the past twelve months. Healthcare was a key battleground for the 2019 election with both parties going to the polls with significant health commitments. With the election over and the 47th Parliament now underway, Federal Shadow Health Minister Chris Bowen will join us to discuss the ALP’s priorities for health and how they plan to hold the Government to account.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The Cardiovascular Research Leader and Elite Postdoctoral Researcher Grants aim to attract elite international research leaders to NSW, to build local capacity and promote NSW as a global leader in cardiovascular research. The grants are open to researchers in biomedical and basic science, clinical research, public and population health, and health services research. Further information, guidelines and application forms are available at https://www.medicalresearch.nsw.gov.au/cardiovascular/.

The PhD Partnership Program awards funding for PhD candidates to undertake research within the pharmaceutical and biological therapeutics sectors, with joint supervision by academic and industry-based supervisors. The Program aims to build collaboration and commercialisation capacity, create new opportunities for PhD students to study the development of novel therapeutics, and produce graduates with the skills necessary to succeed in industry.

Applications for the PhD Partnership Program are invited from eligible host universities in partnership with industry. Guidelines and application forms are available at www.medicalresearch.nsw.gov.au/phd-scholarships/.

The contact person for both grants is Dr Stephanie Blows on 9461 7069 or Stephanie.blows@health.nsw.gov.au.

MTAA’s annual conference is the premier medical technology industry conference in Australia and is a major event on the Australian healthcare calendar. This year’s conference, tailored to a wider audience, will feature a variety of current issues with concurrent sessions and a workshop scheduled.

MedTech19 provides a unique opportunity for industry professionals to gather and exchange ideas and insights with their peers and other leaders within the medical technology community.

This year’s conference will open with a focus on cyber security, with a keynote address from Ms Marene Allison, Chief Information Security Officer, Johnson & Johnson, Worldwide Vice President Information Security & Risk Management, who will provide an overview of the global landscape for cyber security and the impacts on healthcare.

On day two, the future of private health insurance will be discussed by a panel of experts, including Dr Andrew Charlton, Co-founder of AlphaBeta Advisers and author of Keeping Premiums Low: Towards a more sustainable private healthcare system, a report recently commissioned by MTAA.

There will also be presentations by the TGA’s Adjunct Professor John Skerritt, Shadow Health Minister Chris Bowen, and Dr Robert Hankin, CEO, Health Industry Business Communication Council and many more.

Ian Burgess, Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Technology Association of Australia said:

 “MTAA’s annual conference is the premier medical technology industry conference in Australia and brings together leaders and influencers across industry, government and academia to discuss what’s up ahead for the MedTech industry.

“MedTech19 is an opportunity to hear from senior Commonwealth officials, international industry leaders and local experts on topics ranging from cybersecurity to the future of private health insurance.

“This year’s conference will build on the success of last year’s event with more workshops and exclusive content to help you and your business navigate the challenges ahead in what is shaping up to be a big year for the industry.

“MedTech19 will provide more opportunities for networking and building valuable relationships with health industry stakeholders from across Australia and internationally.”

As a result, the Medtronic Board of Directors announced key leadership appointments as part of its multi-year, leadership succession planning process, which will ensure a smooth and successful transition in leadership across the company.

The Board of Directors has unanimously appointed Geoff Martha, currently Executive Vice President (EVP) of the company’s Restorative Therapies Group (RTG), to assume the newly created role of Medtronic President and become a member of the Medtronic Board of Directors, effective November 1, 2019.

Martha will succeed Ishrak as Medtronic CEO, effective April 27, 2020. As President, Martha will lead Medtronic’s operating groups and regions. Brett Wall, President of Medtronic’s Brain Therapies division, was appointed EVP and Group President of RTG, succeeding Martha, effective November 1, 2019.

At the start of Medtronic’s next fiscal year, on April 27, 2020, Ishrak will assume a new position of Executive Chairman, which will provide counsel and guidance to Medtronic’s leadership, oversee CEO succession, and drive the ongoing successful execution of Medtronic’s long-term strategic plan. These changes are designed to ensure a smooth transition, continuity of leadership and a continued focus on delivering Medtronic’s innovation strategy and financial performance.

“Today, we announced leadership changes that meet both the Board’s objective of executing a thoughtful leadership transition as well as my personal desire to begin transitioning my duties as CEO to a new leader coinciding with the start of our next fiscal year,” said Ishrak.

“This plan and its timing enable Geoff and I to partner on achieving Medtronic’s key financial performance goals as well as delivering on our critical pipeline milestones, including several important product launches.

Leading Medtronic as CEO is an honor and a privilege, and I know that Geoff is the right leader to take Medtronic to the next level of its growth and evolution.

Geoff is a results-oriented, dynamic, and innovative business leader who is passionately committed to our Mission, the advancement of our growth strategy and the development and diversity of our people. I am confident he has the right track record, commitment, vision and judgment to lead our company.”

“As Omar approaches the company’s mandatory executive officer retirement of 65 years of age next year, we have ensured Medtronic has the right leadership at the right time to advance its Mission and deliver shareholder return through a seamless transition,” said Scott Donnelly, Medtronic’s Lead Director, and Chairman, President and CEO of Textron, Inc.

“The Board is extremely grateful to Omar for his outstanding leadership – as the company’s annual revenues have doubled and its market capitalization has increased by more than $100 billion during his tenure. We are confident Omar’s contributions to Medtronic will continue as Executive Chairman. The Board’s succession planning process prioritizes developing leaders from within the company, and we are pleased that we could advance Geoff and Brett for these roles. During his time at Medtronic, Geoff has demonstrated his unique ability to lead, innovate and drive results, and the Board has full confidence in him and his ability to take Medtronic into its next chapter of growth.”

“I’m humbled and grateful for the opportunity to lead such an amazing company,” said Martha.

“Since coming to Medtronic, I have been deeply motivated and inspired by the company’s Mission, its people and its unique ability to create and commercialize technology that directly improves and saves people’s lives. I thank Omar and the entire Board for their vote of confidence in selecting me as President and as the company’s next CEO. I know that with the support and dedication of my Medtronic colleagues around the globe, we can continue to deliver new levels of performance for patients, customers and healthcare systems we serve – and for our shareholders and business partners.”

Stryker has achieved and maintained Australia’s best workplace title by connecting people, culture, work and growth. The company is dedicated to an employee’s journey, focusing on how to understand and treat all candidates and employees as individuals.

Stryker’s focus on treating employees as individuals has consistently remained a key priority and helped enabled successful growth. In the past five years, Stryker’s employee headcount has doubled in Australia and New Zealand.

Instead of following a traditional competency-based development approach, Stryker takes a strengths-based philosophy to help people grow and is dedicated to aligning a potential candidate’s talents to a role, not just focusing on their previous experience.

Erin Cramlet, Senior Director, Human Resources, Stryker South Pacific said, “Developing natural talents into strengths is part of the Stryker DNA. We want to hire people who will have long and successful careers with us, so we choose to invest the time to really get to know our potential candidates. When we find the right person, we help the candidate to identify their strengths and adapt roles to fit the individual. We harness our employees’ natural talents and build their skills through ongoing learning opportunities, so our people are empowered to do what they do best.”

Once onboarded, Stryker motivates its workforce by continuing to focus on the individual and offers personalised engagement and  development opportunities.

“People at Stryker are given a great deal of support and freedom to learn, grow and develop, but the onus is on the individual to make it happen. We encourage people to own their development and to drive change when they see opportunities to improve this,” said Cramlet.

Stryker’s approach to talent acquisition is unique and has been critical to Stryker’s strong growth and ongoing success. Stryker is determined to stay on this path of success and will continue to find ways to improve life at work for its employees, thinking beyond work perks and focusing on the day-to-day work experience.

“At Stryker, we challenge ourselves and each other to achieve more. We are aligned and ambitious, and every person in our organisation can connect their role to our bigger purpose: to make healthcare better for our customers and their patients.

“We believe that creating a great place to work hinges on making work meaningful and giving people a sense of belonging, trust and  elationship. We purposefully attract people who will genuinely feel rewarded by the work we do. We are proud to say, every person in our organisation, regardless of their role, can connect what they do to a bigger purpose,” continued Cramlet.

This is the 12th Annual Edition of the Best Places to Work benchmarking study in Australia. The success of the Best Places to Work Australia publication is a testament to Australian organisation’s willpower and innovation to retain happy, engaged, loyal, high performing workforces.
The study conducted is based on one of the world’s most comprehensive studies of workplace culture by Great Place to Work Australia.

“It is companies such as Stryker which will not only retain but also attract the most committed and engaged team members during this tight labour market period. Being named one of the Best Places to Work provides organisations with a fantastic opportunity to actively promote their hard work and success and further increase their exposure,” said Zrinka Lovrencic, MD of Great Place to Work Australia.

The 2019 Best Places to Work was published in a feature insert in the Australian Financial Review and www.greatplacetowork.com.au on Wednesday, 28 August, 2019.