Freehand Surgical announces new chief executive designate

Freehand Surgical has announced the appointment of Rosemary Cunningham Thomas as its new chief executive designate.

Ms Cunningham Thomas has accrued extensive experience in executive roles at medical technology firms, having played a key role in improving the fortunes of CR Bard's European urology franchise.

She most recently acted as European president of Galil Medical, helping the company to augment both its financial performance and global reach.

Her appointment by Freehand Surgical comes at a time when the company is aiming to transition from being a research-based organisation to a sales and marketing-driven player in the global laparoscopic surgery market.

Ms Cunningham Thomas said: "This is a pivotal time for Freehand as the cost pressures across public and private hospitals in the UK … make the business case for utilising our laparoscopic camera controller even stronger."

Last month, the company became an official NHS technology partner after being appointed to the Innovative Technology Adoption Procurement Programme by the Department of Health.