Steve Ubl, president and CEO of AdvaMed will leave his post at AdvaMed in the fall to serve as president and CEO of PhRMA.
Ubl shared the letter below with the AdvaMed Board of Directors on Friday, September 25, 2015.
It is with mixed feelings that I am writing to let you know that I will be stepping down as AdvaMed president and CEO this fall to start the next chapter of my career as president and CEO of PhRMA – Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. I have already been in contact with AdvaMed Chairman Vince Forlenza of BD to discuss and plan interim leadership. I am confident the association is in great hands and well positioned to continue to succeed in its vital advocacy mission.
Steve Ubl traveled to Arizona in July of 2015 to meet with our community’s med tech leaders . Pictured (left to right) Randal Schulhauser of Medtronic, Steve Ubl, and AZBio president & CEO Joan Koerber-Walker, Chair of the AdvaMed State Medical Technology Alliance.
Reflecting on the tremendous progress we’ve made over the course of my 16 year involvement with AdvaMed – including six years as executive vice president of federal government relations and just over a decade as president and CEO – I am grateful for the dedicated support received from AdvaMed’s Board of Directors and membership, and the extraordinarily talented and hardworking AdvaMed team that has made it all possible.
The many accomplishments we’ve achieved together include landmark reforms related to FDA review processes and Medicare coverage and reimbursement; expansion to represent manufacturers of diagnostic tests through AdvaMedDx; creation of AdvaMed Accel to meet the needs of smaller medtech companies; development of a robust legal department and ethical business practices compliance program, including an enhanced Code Of Ethics; and strengthened international advocacy, including the recently opened China office and expanded emerging market capabilities. Working together, we established the premier medtech conference that has grown to become the “must-attend” event for industry. And we created our annual CEO Summit, yet another new and interesting way to discuss vital health policy issues, network and communicate our priorities.
At AdvaMed, our strong relationships with regulators and other policymakers in the U.S. and around the globe are made possible by having the best experts in regulatory, reimbursement, legal and global medtech issues. Our government affairs and public affairs teams have heightened awareness of how the great work of our industry improves lives and creates high-paying American jobs. And our business development, educational and administrative operations are the engine behind much of what keeps the association running at peak performance.
I will surely be saddened to leave my AdvaMed home, and so many wonderful colleagues who have become friends, but I am also excited to be taking on a new career challenge at an organization with similar goals to those of AdvaMed, to improve people’s lives.
Until my successor at AdvaMed is named, in consultation with Vince, the Executive Committee and Board members, all day-to-day operations of the association will be handled by an interim management committee comprised of: Chris White, senior executive vice president and general counsel; Kenny Mendez, senior executive vice president and chief administrative officer; JC Scott, senior executive vice president, government affairs; and Andy Fish, senior executive vice president and executive director of AdvaMedDx. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact any member of the interim management team at: cwhite@advamed.org (202-434-7217), kmendez@advamed.org (202-434-7250), jscott@advamed.org (202-434-7242), or afish@advamed.org (202-434-7222).
AdvaMed’s extraordinary team of department heads will also continue their strong leadership, working in close collaboration with their Board committee chairs, to continue making AdvaMed one of the most well respected and highly regarded industry associations.
While my departure may be bittersweet, I want you to know that I’ve loved every minute of my involvement with AdvaMed, and I know, thanks to your support as Board members, the association is far stronger today than when I arrived so long ago. I wish you all the very best.
Sincerely,
Stephen J. Ubl
President and CEO