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Lobo’s appreciation for the medtech industry only grew after he watched it respond to the demands of customers, patients and politicians during 2020.
Lobo acknowledged he “wasn’t prepared to be leading during this time. I’ve learned a lot about ventilators and diagnostic tests and PPE — areas that frankly, Stryker doesn’t play in. But as leader of the association, I had to become very knowledgeable.”
Nadim Yared, CEO of CVRx and Lobo’s predecessor at AdvaMed, said the Stryker CEO “did admirably well as chairman of AdvaMed during this crisis.” Not only did the association have to stand front-and-center in advocating for the industry, but it had to do all this while facing its own financial challenges as the pandemic squeezed conference revenue and membership fees.
Yared credits Lobo with drawing support from other medtech leaders, citing the appointment of Vince Forlenza, former CEO of Becton Dickinson, as the leader of the COVID-19 diagnostic testing task force.