Smith & Nephew : founders commemorated with plaques on Hull site

1 December 2016

Smith & Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology business, today unveiled two commemorative plaques in honour of its founders, Thomas James Smith and his nephew, Horatio Nelson Smith.

Smith & Nephew was honoured to be approached as a recipient of two Centenary plaques by Hull City Council and for Jean Gooder, eldest granddaughter of Horatio Nelson Smith, to attend the ceremony.

'It is a privilege to be part of this double commemoration of my grandfather and his uncle,' said Jean.

'Neither, I think, would have anticipated such recognition of their initiatives, which have proved so real and lasting for the city of Hull.'

The plaques will be positioned on the Smith & Nephew site visible to the public and will become part of the Lord Mayor's Centenary plaque trail, which commemorates pioneers and ground-breakers from Hull. Councillor Mary Glew, who is the lead on the plaque scheme said;

'Smith & Nephew is such a well-known name in the city, and for it to have grown from a small pharmacy to a world-wide business is wonderful. It is quite right that we are honouring Thomas and Horatio with Lord Mayor Centenary Plaques for their work and dedication to the city.'

Smith & Nephew was founded 160 years ago in 1856 when Thomas James Smith opened a pharmacy on Whitefriargate specialising in cod liver oil. His nephew, Horatio Nelson Smith, joined the company in 1896, overseeing the supply of field dressings during the World Wars. Today, the Hessle Road site manufactures world-leading wound management products.

From these early beginnings, Smith & Nephew has continued to grow by taking a pioneering approach to supporting healthcare professionals in their daily efforts to improve the lives of their patients. Presently, Smith & Nephew has a presence in over 100 countries with more than 15,000 employees worldwide.

Andy Boyes, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing said;

'Smith & Nephew is proud of its heritage and continues to invest in its future in Hull, including the recent announcement of a state-of-the-art research and development centre opening in 2017. We are delighted for our founders to be recognised through Centenary plaques and that Mrs Gooder was able to join us to witness this important commemoration of her family's contribution to Hull.'

Enquiries

Media

Tanya Childs, Corporate Brand Director
Smith & Nephew
+44 (0)1482 673857

Victoria Coates, Media Relations Officer
Hull City Council
+44 (0)1482 615066

About Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business dedicated to helping healthcare professionals improve people's lives. With leadership positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma & Extremities, Smith & Nephew has around 15,000 employees and a presence in more than 100 countries. Annual sales in 2015 were more than $4.6 billion. Smith & Nephew is a member of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN).

For more information about Smith & Nephew, please visit our website www.smith-nephew.com, follow @SmithNephewplc on Twitter or visit SmithNephewplc on Facebook.com.

About Lord Mayors' Centenary Plaques

There are a number of other heritage plaques across Hull, each telling their own story about the city's heritage. The Centenary plaques differ in that they will have an interactive feature for the modern day. A new App is in development and in the future people with a smart phone or smart device will be able to download the App to find out more about the person being commemorated.

The production of the Lord Mayors' Centenary Plaques was established during the 2014-2015 municipal year to commemorate the anniversary of the creation of the role of Lord Mayor in Hull, and recognise those individuals that had made significant achievements for the benefits of people within and beyond the Kingston upon Hull.

The Centenary Plaques will commemorate 100 individuals, providing a permanent physical marking through the production of a plaque, which will be linked to audio-visual information accessible via the internet.