10 Things You Didn’t Know about Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo

Back in 1941, Kalamazoo was deeply troubled by his patients’ failing health and suffering. He was a physician who was based in Michigan, and he founded the Michigan based Stryker Corporation. Fast forward to today, Kevin Lobo is propelling it to supply over 100 countries with medical devices. Kevin Lobo has been a phenomenal figure at the corporation. He has led the corporation into overwhelming success and has made it a pioneer in many aspects of improving global healthcare. His success has made him a person of interest, and the following are 10 things you didn’t know about Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo.

1. He led Stryker’s first mega Chinese acquisition

This 48-year-old led Stryker into buying a company that makes pelvic reconstruction plates. The Chinese company was the largest in the country, and it was bought at $764 million. The funny thing is that the purchase was Kevin’s first acquisition as a Chief Executive officer, and it served as a glimpse of his bold and daring demeanor. He personally acknowledges that it was the first time he did something so robust, and he asserts that he values the lessons he learned from the move immensely.

2. He didn’t anticipate his ascent to Stryker’s top position

Lobo became the CEO of Stryker after the unprecedented resignation of the then Stryker President and Chairman. After MacMillan resigned suddenly due to family reasons, the corporation had to restructure its leadership after eight years of stability. The medical devices giant relied on the then VC and Vice President to act as its acting CEO. Kevin was finally entrusted with the responsibility due to his phenomenal experience and outstanding performance at other institutions and as Group President of Stryker Orthopedics.

3. He is a French Speaking Canadian native

Kevin Lobo can speak impeccable English and fluent French. He always has to expend all his charismatic grasp of all the languages that he can speak to address the global community of 24,000 professionals that Stryker employees.

4. He is the only managing member of the board

Kevin sits on the Stryker board of directors, and he participates in most of the important decision making that propels this pharmaceutical giant into delivering better products. He is the only member of the board that also performs active management duties and day to day running of the corporation.

5. He sits on other major boards

Kevin Lobo’s influence spans from way back before he joined Stryker. He uses his influence at other boards to advance his agenda of improving healthcare and the pharmaceutical business for the benefit of the boards in which he sits including:

• Business Leaders for Michigan
• Parker Hannifin Corporation
• United Way
• Advanced Medical Technology Association

6. Kevin Lobo is a thematic leader

After becoming the head of Stryker and moving to Southwest Michigan where the base of Stryker’s operations lie, he set out to familiarize the corporation with four themes that he intends to use throughout his tenure. They included:

• Globalization
• Innovation
• Collaboration
• Cost-optimization

He owes the four themes to Stryker’s expansion into over 100 countries and impressive growth.

7. Kevin didn’t relocate his family

Kevin is a family man, and he certainly didn’t want to disrupt his son’s High School education. He says that he spends as much time in Kalamazoo as if he lived there. According to him, his job description involves very frequent traveling, and therefore it didn’t matter where his family was based. It would be simpler if he did the moving because he was the one required to move all the time.

8. Lobo once lived in the United Kingdom

CEO Kevin claims that he learned his most important lesson in leadership when he was supervising Rhone-Poulenc’s Phosphate Division. He says that he had to learn the hard way that he didn’t know everything there was to about the industry. His realization from the job was that he had to align himself with people who were great at what they were doing.

9. Lobo is a great listener

Lobo’s most valuable advice to industry leaders is to always listen before anything. He argues that when one listens, they learn and understand.

10. CEO Kevin Lobo is a pretty experienced corporate executive

He was previously the president of the internationally revered Johnson & Johnson Medical Products.