Straumann Group strengthens executive team to sustain dynamic growth in APAC and to lead Global People Management & Development

Basel, 20 March 2017 -The Straumann Group today announced two changes in its executive Management & Development team to continue the dynamic development of its fastest-growing region, Asia Pacific, and to take global people management and development to the next level.

Patrick Kok-Kien Loh is to join the Straumann Group in mid-May as Executive Vice President Asia Pacific, taking over from Dr Alexander Ochsner, who will assume a new role within the Group as Executive Vice President Global People Management & Development.

Patrick Loh joins Straumann from Haemonetics Corporation, a global provider of blood and plasma supplies and services, where he has been President of the Asia Pacific region and a member of the Corporate Operating Committee since 2014. His career spans almost thirty years in the medical device, biotech and pharmaceutical sectors with multinational companies including Thermo Fisher Scientific, Kinetics Concepts and B.Braun. Having begun in product management, he rose through general country management to regional leadership, establishing a strong track record of commercial leadership and strategic business growth. He has worked in China since 1992 and has a deep knowledge of the APAC markets.

A Malaysian national, Patrick Loh completed studies in Marketing in Malaysia and an Executive MBA at Olin Business School, Washington University in the US. He is fluent in four Asian languages, of which Cantonese is his mother tongue.

Alexander Ochsner joined Straumann in 2012 and has headed the Group's business in the APAC region very successfully for the past four and a half years, during which regional sales have grown annually at average of 14% in local currencies. At the same time Straumann has established itself as the premium market leader in Asia Pacific. He will return to Switzerland for his new assignment when the transition to Patrick Loh has been completed.

In 2016, the Straumann Group achieved strong growth in terms of revenue, volumes, customers, reach, and products. At the same time the Group's diverse global team of employees increased by 10% and is expected to grow further in 2017 to support and drive future expansion. Due to its increasing strategic importance, the Global People Management & Development function is to be included in the Group's Executive Management Board.

About Straumann

The Straumann Group (SIX: STMN) is a global leader in tooth replacement solutions that restore smiles and confidence. It unites global and international brands that stand for excellence, innovation and quality in tooth replacement and esthetics, including Straumann, Instradent, Neodent, and Medentika, etkon and other fully/partly owned companies and partners.

In collaboration with leading clinics, institutes and universities, the Group researches, develops, manufactures and supplies dental implants, instruments, CADCAM prosthetics, biomaterials and digital solutions for use in tooth replacement and restoration or to prevent tooth loss.

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, the Group employs 3800 people worldwide and its products, solutions and services are available in more than 100 countries through a broad network of distribution subsidiaries and partners.