In The Office EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW

n 1963, Bill Cook and his wife Gayle invested $1,500 in a blowtorch, soldering iron, and plastic tubing to produce catheters in their apartment. Those early endeavours led to the establishment of Cook Group, one of the worlds best-known and most-respected names in medical devices and supplies. With operations spanning from the United States to Europe, Asia and Australia, Cook Medical has transformed healthcare on a global scale, providing cutting-edge technology and tailor-made medical devices to doctors across four continents. Managing Director of Cook Medical Australia and Director of Cook Medical AsiaPacific Barry Thomas says one maxim has remained at the heart of the Cook Medical vision and strategy: Our focus is on the patient. Cook Medicals founder Bill Cook always said, If you focus on the patient and do the right thing by them, everything else will fall into place. It is never about money. The values that are ingrained in each level of Cook Medical ensure that Bill Cooks vision and passion are communicated and transferred

to each employee. These values include providing the highest-quality medical products, maintaining a deep concern for patient safety and wellbeing, treating customers with respect, and serving them to the best of their ability, as well as solving diverse medical problems while maintaining a willingness to listen, learn, innovate, and educate.

Our focus is on the patient. Cook Medicals founder Bill Cook always said, If you focus on the patient and do the right thing by them, everything else will fall into place. It is never about money. - Barry Thomas
Integrity forms a vital component of these values, with Cook Medical executives urging staff to respect the company by giving their best effort, loyalty, honesty, and accountability while acknowledging the contribution of their fellow employees. Cook Medical also strives to serve as a corporate role model by acting as an example of the highest integrity in business dealings and being a sensitive employer and contributor.

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The Patient Comes First

AS A LEADER IN HEALTHCARE DEVICES AND MEDICAL RESEARCH, COOK MEDICAL HAS BEEN SERVING PATIENTS FOR 50 YEARS WITH A CONSISTENT AND CONSCIENTIOUS ETHOS.
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When you deal with Romar, you can be assured of quality. We have been putting our reputation on the line every day for the last three and a half decades. Romars goal is to be the manufacturer of choice to our customers. We are committed to continual improvement of our quality management system in order to meet customer requirements and satisfaction.

The corporations commitment to healthcare is clearly demonstrated in Cook Medicals innovative and forwardthinking approach, with the company remaining at the forefront of medical research. Cook Medical consistently provides world-leading products for endovascular therapy, critical-care medicine, general surgery, diagnostic and interventional procedures, bioengineered tissue replacement and regeneration, gastroenterology and endoscopy procedures, urology, obstetrics, and gynaecology. Barry assumed responsibility for the AsiaPacific and Australian regions in September 2009 after eight years with Cook Medical. I joined Cook Medical in 2001 as a national sales manager, he says. In 2003, I moved to the United States to take an Australian invention product to the world and set up a new business unit based out of Indiana, which I did for five and a half years. I then became vice-president of the company in the US. I wanted to return to Australia, so we looked at Asia and the opportunities in the AsiaPacific region. At the time, we didnt have any presence in Asia. We had a lot of distributors that were acting on our behalf and a couple of small Cook Medical companies. In 2008, I came back with the mission to take charge of our own destiny in the AsiaPacific and take responsibility for our business in the region. Originally, I didnt have anything to do with Cook Medical Australia, but in late 2009 the managing director for Australia left, so I inherited Cook Medical Australia as well.

While many executives might baulk at juggling both responsibilities and regions, Barry claims that he simply built a good team around him. I spent a lot of time recruiting key people and developing staff here, he says. That has been a real success and gave me a real sense of accomplishment and pride watching people here develop and grow. There are no shortcuts or secret ways to do it. We work with some good partners in the recruiting side, using their networks to find people. We get those employees in place and then spend time developing them and bringing them into our culturebasically, coaching and encouraging them to be the best they can be. There is no easy way to do that. You must be prepared for failure, and sometimes you dont get it right. You cant beat yourself up. Sometimes you will get it wrong, and you need to realise that and make the appropriate changes. You have to maintain peoples dignity and respect. Efficiency and engagement are key aspects of Barrys approach. I am one of those people who is available 24/7, he says. Having said that, you need to train your people to appreciate and understand what that responsibility means for everyone. It is really about prioritising your own time and looking at where those needs are at any particular time. I am developing skills that allow me to do that. I have a very structured way I deal with emails. If people email me, they can only ask one question per email and they have to ask the question in the first line. I dont reply to ccs at all. My replies are generally one or two words.

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There is no real secret to success; it is simply a lot of hard work and a lot of listening. - Barry Thomas
organisation. Everybody participates at the same level and we are totally transparent and open about that. Every month, I go around the building into each of the areas and update the staff on what we are doing and how the business is operating, not only in Australia but worldwide. Barrys management style has been formed over more than two decades of international leadership experience in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries. He lists a number of important lessons that he garnered over this time. You should always be focused on the people and be willing to listen. Be prepared to admit you are wrong. It is just how life is. I have done a lot of different jobs in my life. I left home very young: I lived as a hippie for a number of years, I worked in music, photography, and I was a nurse. I have broadly travelled and worked for both large and small companies. As a result, I have a diverse view of the world. I have always had the philosophy that there is no such thing as no, and there is no such thing as cant. You have to constantly challenge yourself. Since Barry assumed leadership of the Australian and AsiaPacific arms of Cook Medical in 2009, the companys culture has shifted significantly. We have become a much more open organisation, with a broader management team and an open and consultative structure, Barry says. We have reviewed all our business practices and looked at more efficient ways to do things. We have also moved some of our manufacturing offshore. While Barry confesses that some of Cook Medicals manufacturing had to go offshore, he still believes that he has supported and advocated manufacturing in Australia. I think one of my greatest achievements has been keeping most of our manufacturing in Australia. Ive tried to balance the difficulties of manufacturing with the high dollar while
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remaining committed to Australia. I have also made sure we capitalise on what is happening in the AsiaPacific region while maintaining what we are doing in Australia. Barry is determined to ensure Cook Medical Australias jobs remain onshore. He has implemented an initiative where the company pays for its employees health insurance. Additionally, the insurance cover extends to the employees family, which results in fewer sick days, a healthier workforce, and boosted morale throughout the company. Barry told business news site LeadingCompany that these initiatives lead to a stable and strong workforce. We have a strong enterprise agreement in place, and we have been able to work very well with the employees, he said. Its very much a family-type partnership. Those initiatives and ideas contribute. Theyre all little pieces, and together they help give you a viable business. In our case, we are manufacturing medical devices, so quality is a very important component of what we do. We plant these things in human beings, so our employees have to be highly skilled. You dont bring people on and put people off at will. Once they are trained, you really want to hang onto them. We have a lot of women in our workforce and many have families, so its very important for us to continue to employ them. In addition to health insurance, Barry told LeadingCompany that Cook Medical has a profit-sharing scheme across the board. If I get $400 each month, every employee gets $400, he said. Its not leveraged against your salary or who you are in the

This holistic, global view has ensured Cook Medical continues to lead the market and industry. To stay at the forefront of medical research, we have to maintain our exceptional company image and the relationships we keep with physicians, Barry explains. You have to constantly challenge yourself. You cant become complacent and think you know it all. We have relationships with physicians and universities around the world. I am on the board of Research Australia as a volunteer. Networking with government, inventors, and manufacturers is the way you do it. There is no real secret to success; it is simply a lot of hard work and a lot of listening. These relationships with customers, strategic partners, and suppliers are a key component of Cook Medicals continuing quality and reputation. Its important to select the ones who understand how we want to do business and acknowledge we are a private company that does things differently, Barry says. Its essential that our partners understand our philosophy and culture, and realise we are transparent about our business aims. These aims will steer Cook Medical into the future and ensure it sustains its astonishing growth. Our whole commitment through Asia is about providing better healthcare and outcomes across the continent, Barry concludes. We will always have respect for customers and patients, and we will continue to develop and strengthen. We want to establish ourselves as a recognised and well-thought-of company across the region. With a trusted name in the medical devices industry and a world-renowned brand, Cook Medical is set to serve patients for decades to come.