Leading Diagnostic Innovation

How do you describe what you do to those unfamiliar with the field?
 

With 70 percent of today’s medical decisions depending on laboratory testing, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics focuses on advancing and optimizing these laboratory procedures through our range of diagnostic solutions and clinical data management tools. Our immunoassay, chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, and microbiology solutions provide critical requirements that clinicians and their patients depend on daily. These solutions automate lab processes, taking the pressure off clinicians, improving the accuracy of results, and speeding up the entire diagnostic process, therefore speeding up the time to patient treatment.

Since becoming President of Beckman Coulter in 2023, I’ve remained driven by a passion for supporting laboratories in achieving excellence in their operations. Practically, I focus on growing the company’s business, allowing our reach – and impact on healthcare as a whole – to extend ever further.

As a leader of a company that must innovate to succeed, how do you maintain momentum?
 

Maintaining momentum in a company that thrives on innovation requires a constant and multifaceted approach. Beckman Coulter is part of Danaher, and success at this global conglomerate company doesn't happen by accident. We have a proven achievement system called the Danaher Business System (DBS). DBS guides every aspect of our culture and performance and is the driving force behind maintaining momentum. DBS is how we meet the ever-changing needs of our customers, partners and associates. This way of working fuels the strongest possible advancements – helping us innovate, reduce time to market, shrink lead times, and deliver effective products and solutions. We view all work through the DBS lens – constantly learning, iterating, and improving ourselves so we can help our customers find solutions to their challenges.

What trends are driving innovation within Beckman Coulter?

One of Danaher’s core values is that innovation defines our future and there are four trends that are driving this forward within Beckman Coulter today.

Firstly, advantaged workflow is a cornerstone of our heritage, emphasizing efficiency and customer impact. It is important that our solutions combine research-grade sensitivity with superior workflow.

Secondly, performance partnership focuses on reducing costs and enhancing operational efficiency for large accounts. This brings positive economic impacts to our customers by reducing the cost per test, driving operational savings, and increasing their staff productivity; overall, promoting lab operational excellence and ultimately driving value-based outcomes.

Next, high-resolution diagnostics use new platforms designed to improve precision medicine by enhancing sensitivity, cell imaging, classification, and providing digital clinical decision support.

And finally, biomarker innovation aims to address unmet medical needs – particularly in Alzheimer's, infectious diseases, and hematology–oncology by democratizing access to cutting-edge diagnostics.

Could you tell us about some of the sustainability initiatives at Beckman Coulter’s County Clare facility?
 

Beckman Coulter’s facility in Clare, Ireland, is a great example of how a cutting-edge company can coexist with its environment. We recognize our responsibilities to local farmland with a facility located within 120 hectares of farmland. With a focus on sustainability, the site uses renewable energy, a wormery waste treatment plant to breakdown on-site waste, a water treatment farm, and supports the farmland ecosystem with over 240,000 bees living on-site.

We have two wood chip boilers powered by wood from our own woodland, which has been replanted with native Irish trees. These mature woodlands now supply 70 percent of our heating requirements. In addition, we have two reed beds that naturally filter wastewater before it goes back to the lake. In late 2020, we opened a 5 km nature trail through the forest and farmland, offering our team a place to relax and exercise. During the pandemic, it also served as an outdoor space for work meetings.

Beyond Ireland, sustainability is fundamental to how Danaher and Beckman Coulter conduct responsible business across every aspect of our organization. Danaher recently released its 2024 Sustainability Report, highlighting significant achievements in sustainability initiatives and a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions – including targets for net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.

At the beginning of your career, did you ever envisage becoming the president of a diagnostic giant?

I don’t think I ever envisaged being where I am today – I thought I’d be an engineer for my entire career. My childhood dream was to work in Silicon Valley, which I saw as the peak of technological innovation, and I've always been drawn to it. This came to fruition when I landed a job working on cutting-edge display technologies, helping build most of the factories that still produce LCDs today. I've always focused on making a positive impact in my industry, valuing the work I do more than the job title. Every job I've had has felt like the best one.

Later, I transitioned to healthcare, where my career naturally grew step by step. After more than 15 years in the medical field, my current role as President of Beckman Coulter energizes me to make a difference for patients worldwide.

How would you describe your leadership style?
 

I’d say my leadership style rests on a foundation of collaboration, open communication, and inclusivity. I seek to connect with team members across every level so that I can be aware of – and meet – their needs. Curiosity is key to understanding issues and opportunities. Whether seeking better understanding of our customers' needs, or improving our own performance, listening carefully to those close to the work is essential. I seek to inspire, lead by example, and persevere towards any goal while working collaboratively to ensure the best outcome for all.

How do you maintain continued self-development as a leader?
 

Ongoing self-development is crucial for my personal growth and the success of the company I lead. At Danaher, self-development is a core value, driven by the philosophy of "kaizen," which means continuous improvement. Kaizen is the foundation of DBS – our system for driving and sustaining large-scale change. Our talented people create and follow effective processes, leading to excellent performance. This success attracts more great people, continuing the cycle. At Danaher, and at Beckman Coulter, we believe in constantly improving everything we do, including our skills and impact, to help achieve personal, team, and business goals.

What do you hope to achieve as President of Beckman Coulter?
 

To make significant contributions to diagnosing neurological diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia. These conditions are a growing global health challenge, with around 55 million people living with dementia – expected to rise to 139 million by 2050.

At Beckman Coulter, we believe that blood-based neurology biomarkers will revolutionize how these diseases are diagnosed and monitored. From diagnosis to drug development, scalable diagnostic tests will transform patient care. We are heavily investing in our immunoassay technology to develop high-sensitivity, blood-based tests to detect neurological biomarkers and address this global issue.

I like to quote what Rainer Blair, President and CEO of Danaher, said at the most recent Danaher Summit: “We have to make the next 20 years a golden age for diagnostics – a critical catalyst, an enabler for what can be a revolution in healthcare – more accessible, more effective, and more equitable. At Danaher, we’re eager to build that future.” While it is challenging to forecast the future in such a fast-evolving industry, I can confidently say that Danaher will be a key player in that future.

The future of diagnostics holds immense potential to transform healthcare, making it more proactive, personalized, precise, and accessible. By improving early detection and enabling timely interventions, diagnostics can significantly enhance patient outcomes and reduce the burden of diseases that, for now, seem undiagnosable, or where the diagnosis still comes too late. This is my hope and belief as the president of a diagnostics company – but primarily as a patient.