Zimmer Biomet appoints Chintan Desai as President of Asia Pacific

Zimmer Biomet has appointed Chintan Desai as President of its Asia Pacific region, effective immediately, strengthening its leadership as the company continues to execute its strategy across key international markets.

Desai joins Zimmer Biomet from Alcon, where he most recently served as Vice President and General Manager of International Growth and Export Markets, based in Switzerland. Prior to that role, he led Alcon’s surgical business across the Asia Pacific region from Singapore after joining the company in 2022.

Before Alcon, Desai spent more than 22 years at GE HealthCare, building extensive experience across the medical technology sector and leading businesses throughout Asia Pacific.

Announcing the appointment, Zimmer Biomet President and CEO Ivan Tornos highlighted Desai’s regional expertise and leadership experience.

“He knows this market, he knows how to lead and he will be a strong addition to our team,” Tornos said in a statement, noting Desai’s nearly three decades of leadership experience across Asia Pacific.

Leadership change comes as Zimmer Biomet advances Asia Pacific strategy

Desai takes on the role at a time when Zimmer Biomet has been refining its commercial approach across several international markets.

During the company’s first-quarter 2026 earnings call, executives discussed softer performance outside the United States. CEO Ivan Tornos attributed part of the international results to Zimmer Biomet’s decision to simplify its distribution model in markets including China by moving from a broad distributor network to one or two strategic partners.

Earlier this year, then-Chief Financial Officer Suketu Upadhyay also noted that the company expected sales in China to decline slightly as it continued to reconfigure its go-to-market strategy. He added that Asia Pacific sales were expected to be lower year over year, primarily due to Japan’s biennial medical device price revision, describing the adjustment as a routine part of the business.

Desai succeeds Sang Yi, who will leave Zimmer Biomet on 28 August. Yi joined the company in 2013, was appointed President of Asia Pacific in 2015, and became Group President, Asia Pacific, in 2021.

With decades of leadership experience across the region, Desai will now oversee Zimmer Biomet’s Asia Pacific business as the company continues to strengthen its presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing MedTech markets.

Source

MedTech Dive

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