New Management at Nobel Biocare
New Management at Nobel Biocare The board of Nobel Biocare today decided on the new management structure of the company. Dr Ernst Thomke, chairman of the board, will assume the role of executive chairman of the company. Mrs Heliane Canepa will take responsibility as president of the company with immediate effect. Dr Thomke: "Nobel Biocare is an excellent company. We will focus on developing its huge potential in terms of both growth and profitability still further". Mrs Canepa: "I am looking forward to working with our strong team of dedicated employees who jointly built Nobel Biocare as world leader in dental implants and innovative prosthetics." Dr Thomke is internationally very well known as an entrepreneur. He played a leading role in the turnaround of the Swiss watch industry in the 1980s. He has been at the helm of many international companies such as Motor Columbus, Pilatus Airplanes, Saurer and Bally International. He is currently the chairman of the board of Metalor Technologies and BB BIOTECH, one of the world's largest investors in biotechnology. He is also a member of the board of Phonak Holding, a world leading hearing aid company. Ernst Thomke is a medical doctor and also has a master's degree in biochemistry. Heliane Canepa is also a well-known Swiss entrepreneur. She built up Schneider Worldwide and turned it into a world-leading medical device company. She currently holds various board positions in leading Swiss companies as MIGROS and Phonak. In 1999, she was chosen as Entrepreneur of the Year in Switzerland. Both Ernst Thomke and Heliane Canepa are board members of BB MEDTECH, a Swiss medical technology investment company which owns 12% of the shares of Nobel Biocare. Gothenburg, Sweden, 21 August, 2001 NOBEL BIOCARE AB For further information, please contact: Gunilla Ekholtz, Investor Relations, telephone +46 31 81 88 36. Nobel Biocare is an innovative, medical devices company, whose core business comprises dental implants and dental prosthetics. The company's product systems for dental implants, Brånemark System® and Steri-Oss®, are world leaders and have a global market share of around 40%. The company's other product line, Procera®, is a unique, IT-based process for the industrial production of dental prosthetics. The system has been launched very successfully in more than 30 countries in North America, Europe, South East Asia and South America. Nobel Biocare has around 1,200 employees and, in 2000 turnover totaled SEK 2 110 million. The company's headquarters are located in Gothenburg, Sweden, while production takes place in Sweden and the USA. Nobel Biocare has its own sales companies in 25 countries. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/21/20010821BIT01070/bit0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/21/20010821BIT01070/bit0001.pdf