DePuy Orthopaedics Appoints New President
BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, JUNE 13, 2011
DePuy Orthopaedics announced today that Andrew Ekdahl has been promoted to the position of president, filling the role left vacant by the resignation of David Floyd in March. Mr. Ekdahl previously served as franchise vice president of DePuy Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Mr. Ekdahl, who has been with JNJ and DePuy for more than two decades, is inheriting a number of challenges from the prior leadership. Assuming the $21 billion Synthes acquisition receives regulatory and stockholder approval, Mr. Ekdahl will be charged with the integration of Synthes, which has almost $4 billion in sales and is known for its international presence and unique culture. DePuy has also faced issues with its metal-on-metal hip business and concerns about wear debris. The company's ASR XL Acetabular hip system was recalled last August after the system became associated with a higher-than-expected revision rate, an expensive undertaking that has also attracted extensive media scrutiny.
According to the press release, Mr. Ekdahl's primary responsibility will be to "lead the company's growing orthopaedic business." He will also serve on the DePuy Franchise Global Management Board of the DePuy family of companies.
