Fresenius appoints global medical care research officer

Fresenius has announced the appointment of Olaf Schermeier as chief officer of global research and development for its medical care division, effective from March 1st 2013.

Dr Schermeier currently occupies the corresponding position at German healthcare company Draeger Medical and will join the Fresenius management board when he moves into his new role next year.

At Draeger Medical, he is responsible for global product development for respiratory therapy, anaesthesia, warming therapy, patient monitoring and clinical IT, while he also played a key role in consolidating the firm's research efforts into a single organisation.

The appointment will help Fresenius to improve its efficiency and maintain its focus on developing market-oriented product innovations and improvements.

Rice Powell, the incoming chief executive officer of Fresenius Medical Care, said: "We are fortunate to have a person as qualified as Olaf Schermeier and we are looking forward to working with him in this role."

During the third quarter of 2012, the company recorded its highest ever quarterly net income total and remains on track to meet its growth targets for the current business year.