BD says ‘embecta’ will be diabetes care spinoff

BD, also known as Becton, Dickinson and Co., on Monday said that “embecta” will be the name of the independent, publicly traded company that will hold BD’s Diabetes Care business upon the completion of the previously announced spinoff, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.

In a news release, the Franklin Lakes-based company said the name “embecta” represents the future company’s commitment to people living with diabetes and its corporate heritage: the “em-” prefix evokes empathy for people living with diabetes and the empowerment of the new company and its global team to seek new avenues of growth, and the “bect” embodies the BD spirit by embedding part of the legacy brand — the “bect” from Becton, Dickinson and Co. — in the name.

The logo consists of two bold curved lines, fused together to form a circle around a single point, which symbolizes the concept of bringing people together to form a collaborative, personal relationship and creates a strong connection with the BD visual identity.

“The Diabetes Care business can trace its roots back nearly 100 years to BD’s introduction of the world’s first specialized insulin syringe in 1924, and today is the leading producer of diabetes injection devices in the world,” said Tom Polen, chairman, CEO and president of BD. “We’re proud to see that shared legacy reflected in the new name.”

Devdatt “Dev” Kurdikar, worldwide president of BD Diabetes Care, who will become CEO of embecta upon completion of the spinoff, said: “The Diabetes Care business is the trusted partner our customers and people living with diabetes have known for nearly a century, now with a single focus and the financial flexibility to pursue organic and inorganic innovations that will give more people a better life. We have assembled a diverse and experienced leadership team that is excited about the possibilities ahead, and our global team is passionate about the profound impact they can have on the growing number of people who live with this chronic and prevalent disease. Together, we look forward to making embecta synonymous with a life unlimited by diabetes.”

Upon completion of the spinoff, embecta will have an experienced leadership team led by Kurdikar, each bringing deep and relevant experience in the medical technology industry:

Ginny Blocki will serve as senior vice president, product management and global marketing. Blocki joined BD as senior vice president and head of global marketing and product management for Diabetes Care in October 2021. Previously, she was head of U.S. medication delivery marketing for Baxter and, before that, held leadership roles with Assertio Therapeutics, Abbott Laboratories, Baxter and Baxalta.

Tom Blount will serve as senior vice president and president, North America. Blount joined BD in 2016 and has served as vice president and general manager, U.S. Diabetes Care, since May 2020. Previously, he spent 16 years in roles of increasing leadership responsibility at Sanofi following five years on active duty in the Army.

Shaun Curtis will serve as senior vice president, global manufacturing and supply chain. Curtis joined BD in 2004 and has served as the worldwide vice president of operations for Diabetes Care since 2018. Previously, he was manufacturing director at BD Plymouth in the U.K.

As previously announced, Jake Elguicze will serve as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Elguicze joined BD in May 2021 as the senior vice president, finance, of the Diabetes Care business. Previously, he served as treasurer and head of investor relations for Teleflex, which he joined in 2006 following eight years at Motorola in operating finance roles.

Ajay Kumar will serve as senior vice president and chief human resources officer. Kumar joined BD in 2007 and currently serves as vice president, human resources, for the Diabetes Care business. In his time at BD, he has also held leadership roles as vice president, human resources, for the Medication Delivery Systems and Diagnostic Systems businesses, and led talent management for BD Greater Asia. Previously, he spent 13 years with Unilever India, where he held positions of increasing responsibility across all aspects of HR.

As previously announced, Kurdikar will serve as CEO. Kurdikar has served as worldwide president of Diabetes Care at BD since February 2021. Previously, he was CEO and president of Cardiac Science Corp. Prior to that, he was vice president and general manager, men’s health, at Boston Scientific Corp. and held the same role at American Medical Systems, leading the business through its integration into BSC. He also held leadership roles of increasing responsibility in finance, strategy and integration, R&D planning and operations over the course of 11 years at Baxter International.

Jeff Mann will serve as senior vice president, general counsel and head of corporate development. Mann joined BD in August 2021 after serving as general counsel and corporate secretary of Cantel Medical Corp. Prior to Cantel, he spent 14 years with Boston Scientific.

Slobodan Radumilo will serve as senior vice president and president, international. Radumilo joined BD in 2016 as vice president and general manager of Diabetes Care for BD in the EMEA region. Previously, he held roles of increasing responsibility at Medtronic from 1997 to 2016, most recently as vice president of neuromodulation for Europe and Canada, regional vice president for Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and regional vice president for Central and Eastern Europe, Greece and Israel.

Colleen Riley will serve as senior vice president and chief technology officer. Riley joined BD as senior vice president, chief technology officer for the Diabetes Care business in October 2021. Prior to that, she was the senior vice president of innovation and development for Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies and previously served in leadership roles at Stryker Orthopedics, Novartis AG, Nexis Vision Inc. and Johnson & Johnson.