Third Annual AdvaMed Advance I&D Summit: Recruiting and Retaining Innovative Medtech Talent

AdvaMed Advance held its annual I&D Summit to facilitate industry-wide progress on recruiting and retaining innovative talent. The I&D Summit will featured a live discussion about recruitment and retainment best practices led by Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson, Associate Professor of Management at CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business and a subject matter expert on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. During the session, attendees also joined smaller breakout groups for deep dives into the core topics.

Learning Objectives

1. Build awareness around the best practices and key challenges highlighted in the 2021 AdvaMed Advance I&D Survey (Recruitment, Retention and Commitment).
2. Provide attendees a better understanding of the importance of their role and how they can be more inclusive leaders.

What is AdvaMed Advance?

Inclusion and diversity are a top priority for the medical technology industry. 

AdvaMed Advance is an industry resource to help unlock the power and potential of all talent, and drive innovation in medical technology through achievement of the best inclusion and diversity practices

Opening Remarks

Nacho Abia
COO, Olympus Corporation and
CEO, Olympus Corporation of Americas

Mr. Nacho Abia started his career with Olympus in 2001 as the Chief Executive Officer of the Iberia Region based in Barcelona, Spain. He later moved to Hamburg, Germany in 2007 to take on a role as the Managing Director of the Consumer Imaging Business for the Olympus Europa region.

In 2011, he moved to Center Valley, Pennsylvania to join Olympus Corporation of the Americas (OCA) and assumed the responsibility of President for its Consumer Imaging Business Division. In 2013, he was promoted to the role of President of OCA and in March 2015 was also appointed as its CEO; a role he continues to hold today overseeing the Company’s activities throughout North and South America. He is also a member of OCA’s Board of Directors and of the Global Executive Committee of Olympus in Tokyo.

In addition to his Olympus responsibilities, Nacho serves on the Board of Directors of AdvaMed (Advanced Medical Technology Association) and on the Board of Directors of the US-Spain Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining Olympus, Nacho held several positions in the IT and consumer electronics industries working for a variety of high-tech companies, including Sony and Techdata. He holds dual Master’s Degrees; one in Telecommunications and Electronic Engineering, and another in Business Administration.

Born in Spain, Nacho is married with two children and currently lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In his personal time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing tennis, hiking, running and cycling. He firmly believes in the motto, “Be persistent. Never give up and fight for what you believe is right.”

Martha Shadan, MBA
President & CEO
Miach Orthopaedics

Martha Shadan joined Miach Orthopaedics as president and chief executive officer in January 2019. During 2018, Shadan served as global vice president of marketing at Smith & Nephew plc, a role she assumed after the company acquired Rotation Medical, where she was president and CEO. Shadan led Rotation Medical through FDA approval and commercialization of the Rotation Medical Bioinductive Implant for rotator cuff tears (now known as REGENETEN), as well as the company’s acquisition by Smith & Nephew in December 2017.

Shadan has more than three decades of experience in the life science industry as a business leader in a variety of both large and start-up organizations. Prior to joining Rotation Medical, she was the president of the Trauma Division at Zimmer where she managed the P&L for the global business. Shadan served at Covidien as vice president/general manager of Vascular Therapies and vice president/general manager BioSurgery and Sports Surgery. Other companies that have benefited from Shadan’s experience and leadership include Bristol Myers Squibb Co. and Merck Millipore.

Shadan is actively involved with the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), serving on the Board of Directors since 2017; being a member of the Accel Board of Directors since 2015. Accel is the division within AdvaMed dedicated to addressing the unique needs and challenges of smaller medical technology manufacturers. Shadan chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for AdvaMed and is a founding member of the Leadership Circle for the Women’s Executive Network (WEN). She is also a board advisor for several other companies.

Shadan holds a master of business administration from Northeastern University, master of science in biology from Michigan State University, and bachelor of science in biology from the University of New Hampshire.

Session Facilitator

Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson
Dr. Stefanie K. Johnson is an Associate Professor of Management at CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business where she studies the intersection of leadership and diversity. Dr. Johnson is a member of the MG 100 Coaches, was selected for the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar List, and is the author of the National Bestseller, Inclusify: Harnessing the power of uniqueness and belonging to build innovative teams. Media outlets featuring Dr. Johnson’s work include: The Economist, Newsweek, Time, and The Wall Street Journal.

Click below to download the presentation slides from the I&D Summit.

I&D Summit Recording