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Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics Creates Marketing Management Structure

Posted on: Friday, 15 July 2005, 12:01 CDT

Jul. 15--To better manage its newly swollen ranks of worldwide sales representatives, the reconstructive division of Memphis-based Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics has introduced a management structure to the team's marketing division.

Where there was once just a department called marketing, three executives Todd Durniak, Terri Wells and Chip Colonna -- have taken on three newly differentiated divisions within that department -- reconstructive strategic, regional marketing and brand marketing.

"I really wanted to make sure ... our growth is sustainable. It had become kind of hectic around here," said Scott Flora, senior vice president and general manager of reconstructive.

The division has 800 sales people worldwide with plans to grow this year by 9 to 10 percent.

While the move hasn't made many waves in industry talk, the changes go along with the new focus the company has put on reconstructive, said Raj Denhoy, senior analyst at Piper Jaffray.

Reconstructive strategic marketing involves managing the division's global product portfolio. Durniak was recruited from Guidant Vascular Intervention; prior to that, he spent 14 years with Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Orthopaedics.

Regional marketing covers the introduction, or "launch," of new global products. Wells, a Christian Brothers University graduate, was promoted from within reconstructive to vice president of regional marketing.

Brand marketing is similar to what consumers are used to seeing with clothing, electronics, food and home products, where companies use marketing to try to build customer loyalty.

Smith & Nephew already markets to doctors, but it is moving into direct-to-consumer marketing.

For this endeavor, the company went outside the industry and brought in Colonna. His background is in food sales, working for Kraft Foods and Guardion.

"You can coordinate the world from Memphis, but you can't run it," Flora said. "You've got to have talented people in those markets, growing market share. And you've got to have talented managers back home to make sure things move smoothly."

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.

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SNN, JNJ, KFT, MO,

Source: The Commercial Appeal

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