OREANDA-NEWS. Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) today announced the appointment of Jan Kimpen as the company’s Chief Medical Officer, effective January 1, 2016. This function will play an increasingly important role in supporting the company’s strategic focus on the HealthTech market and Dr. Kimpen will add a wealth of related experience to Philips’ senior management team. Dr. Kimpen, MD, PhD, professor, joins Philips from the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMC Utrecht) in the Netherlands, where he was Chairman of the Executive Board. He will report to Philips CEO Frans van Houten.

“I am delighted that Jan Kimpen is joining us from UMC Utrecht, which is a highly renowned and innovative hospital in the Netherlands,” said Frans van Houten. “The health care industry is undergoing a huge transformation, and Philips’ integrated approach to coordinated care across the health continuum is our answer to addressing the industry’s dual challenge of delivering better patient outcomes at lower costs. Integrated solutions are at the core of our strategy and in his role as Chief Medical Officer, Jan Kimpen will work closely with our global network of medical thought leaders to ensure that deep clinical insights and a people-focused approach are at the heart of our propositions.”

Jan Kimpen (Belgian, 1958) joined UMC Utrecht, one of the largest health care organizations in the Netherlands, in 1997 and became President of the Board in 2009. At UMC Utrecht, Dr. Kimpen strengthened ties with the world-renowned Netherlands Cancer Institute at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital (NKI-AVL) and the Netherlands Pediatric Oncology Center. He has been the driving force behind partnerships with Philips and Eindhoven University of Technology, where he is a member of the strategic advisory board Health.

“I very much look forward to joining Philips,” said Jan Kimpen. “Given the health care industry’s complexities and interdependencies, it is my firm belief that innovation in health care cannot be achieved in isolation and that collaboration is therefore key to success. My experience in forging partnerships in the public health care sector will provide a strong foundation to expand and deepen Philips’ cooperation agreements with the numerous public and private stakeholders in the health care industry.”