Cochlear has announced the appointment of the new chair with current non-executive director Alison Deans to succeed Rick Holliday-Smith.
Mr Holliday-Smith has been a member of the board since 2005 and served as chairman since mid-2010. He will retire on 20 August 2021.
Mr Holliday-Smith said, “I have greatly enjoyed my time on the Board of Cochlear and especially as Chairman for the past 11 years. It has been a privilege to work with an exceptional Board and management team.
“Cochlear is an incredible company that has stayed true to its Mission to help people hear and be heard, marking a major milestone this year in celebrating its 40th birthday. The Company has provided more than 600,000 implant devices to people globally and continues to be the global market leader in implantable hearing solutions.”
Alison Deans has been a non-executive director of Cochlear since January 2015. She was formerly CEO of technology investment companies netus and ecorp, as well as eBay Australia.
Mr Holliday-Smith said, “Alison’s deep understanding of the Company, breadth of experience as a non-executive director and extensive experience leading technology-enabled businesses means she will be an excellent and well-qualified Chair.”
Ms Deans said, “Rick has instilled a relentless focus on Cochlear’s Mission and the importance of investment to drive long-term sustainable growth. Under his stewardship, the corporate culture has thrived and ongoing investment in innovation and market development has strengthened Cochlear’s market position and growth outlook.
“Our goal is to ensure that we can provide a lifetime of hearing solutions to the children, and adults, being implanted with our devices today while also delivering leading hearing solutions for our future recipients. It is an honour to be appointed Chair of such a remarkable company, and I look forward to working with the Board and the management team to continue to build on these strengths.”
Ms Deans also currently serves on the boards of Ramsay Health Care and Deputy Group. She is on the Investment Committee of MainSequence Ventures (Manager of the CSIRO Innovation Fund).