Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced the appointment of Deeptha Khanna as the Chief Business Leader of its Personal Health businesses, effective July 20, 2020, and the appointment of Edwin Paalvast as Chief of International Markets, effective August 1, 2020. Ms. Khanna and Mr. Paalvast will become members of Philips' Executive Committee reporting to Philips CEO Frans van Houten.
Ms. Khanna joins Philips from Johnson & Johnson to lead its Personal Health businesses that were temporarily led by Frans van Houten. Mr. Paalvast joins Philips from Cisco Systems, and will succeed current Chief of International Markets Henk de Jong, who has been appointed as CEO of Philips' EUR 2.3 billion Domestic Appliances business, effective August 1, 2020. As announced in January 2020, the Domestic Appliances business is being separated from Philips, a process that is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2021.
"Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, our purpose and strategy to improve people's lives through meaningful innovation remain more relevant than ever," said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. "We see significant opportunities to further strengthen Philips' leadership in health technology. Throughout our markets, care delivery is accelerating towards telehealth, virtual care and remote services directly to patients at home. And in the personal health domain, we are seeing an accelerated shift in priorities and buying behaviors towards online. I am pleased that in Deeptha, with her rich consumer health and digital experience, and Edwin, with his strong informatics and solutions expertise, we have found the right leaders to join our team and help us unlock Philips' full potential."
"Moreover, with the planned divestiture of the Domestic Appliances business, we are completing the strategic portfolio pivot to a health technology focus. I am convinced that Henk is the best leader for Domestic Appliances, as this business will embark on a new chapter in its journey to thrive and grow independent of Philips. As a seasoned business leader, Henk possesses a great combination of deep consumer knowledge across many countries, as well as a passion for bringing out the best in his team."
