Medela Appoints Melissa Gonzales to Managing Director

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Mar 01, 2016, 08:00 ET

MCHENRY, Ill., March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Medela, Inc. announced that Melissa Gonzales has been appointed managing director of the Medela USA business unit. In this role, Gonzales will manage the largest market within the Medela group, overseeing both the human milk and healthcare businesses. Previously, Gonzales served as vice president of sales and channel management for human milk.

Melissa Gonzales, managing director, Medela USA.

"Melissa Gonzales is a gifted leader," said Daniel Frutig, chief executive officer, Medela Group. "She takes over as managing director of Medela USA at a significant time as we realign the organization to better meet our mission to improve health, globally and in the U.S. With more than 20 years of experience in medical devices, she has the knowledge and leadership skills to guide innovation and growth in the human milk and healthcare businesses."

Over the past seven years, Gonzales has been instrumental in leading both Medela's healthcare and breast milk feeding portfolio of medical devices and accessories, informing strategies to help moms and health professionals navigate the new healthcare law, as well as forming strategic alliances with hospitals, national and specialty retail accounts, and durable medical equipment distributors. Gonzales will focus on providing the most technologically advanced, superior-quality breast pumps and breast milk feeding accessories to hospitals and nursing mothers throughout the U.S. She will also be advancing the U.S. healthcare business with a focus on the negative pressure wound therapy portfolio.

"I am honored to take on this new role," said Melissa Gonzales. "Medela is the kind of mission-driven company that plays an important role in helping families during a critical time in life. As the healthcare paradigm continues to shift in the U.S., we must ensure Medela's approach effectively connects with women, families, healthcare professionals and partners. With human milk as an example, there are initiatives such as Healthy People 2020, which directly connects to our mission in promoting the health benefits of human milk. As the market leader, the pressure is on us to provide innovative product solutions to help meet these goals."

Gonzales graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago and received her MBA from Keller Graduate School. She recently completed the Advanced Management Program within the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

About Medela
Founded in 1961 by Olle Larsson and headquartered in Switzerland, Medela today is led by his son Michael Larsson. Medela concentrates on two business units: "Human Milk," with basic research recognised globally and leading in the development and manufacture of breastfeeding products and solutions, and "Healthcare," engineering and manufacturing highly innovative medical vacuum technology solutions. Medela has 18 subsidiaries in Europe, North America and Asia, distributes its products in over 100 countries and employs over 1,600 staff worldwide. For more information, visit www.medela.com.

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SOURCE Medela, Inc.