Management Changes at ZOLL Signal Stable Leadership and Steady Growth

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CHELMSFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZOLL® Medical Corporation, an Asahi Kasei Group Company that manufactures medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that effective April 1, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard A. Packer will assume a new role within Asahi Kasei leading the global Health Care Business Unit (HCBU); Jonathan A. Rennert, currently President of ZOLL’s resuscitation business, will become CEO of ZOLL, and A. Ernest Whiton, now Senior Vice President (SVP) of International Operations, will replace Mr. Rennert as President of ZOLL’s resuscitation business.

All three executives have distinguished themselves in the four years since ZOLL became part of Asahi Kasei. During that time, ZOLL has more than doubled in size, reaching more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2014 (April 1, 2014 - March 31, 2015); expanded its business portfolio with a number of new and complementary products; and positioned its businesses for continued growth.

In Mr. Packer’s new role as a Primary Executive Officer of Asahi Kasei Corporation, he will help build the health care businesses into a third pillar of the Asahi Kasei Group. The HCBU will consist of Asahi Kasei Pharma, Asahi Kasei Medical, ZOLL, and future global health care companies. Mr. Packer will also serve as the non-executive Chairman of ZOLL.

Mr. Packer joined ZOLL in 1992, and was appointed President in 1995. He was appointed CEO in 1999. Mr. Packer holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School, as well as engineering degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Since joining ZOLL in 2008 as President, Mr. Rennert has led the company to become the global leader in external defibrillation, has diversified the product portfolio through the addition of transport ventilators and intrathoracic pressure regulation (IPR) therapy, and has overseen the establishment of Asahi Kasei ZOLL Medical, ZOLL’s Japanese subsidiary.

Prior to joining ZOLL, Mr. Rennert led the analytical instruments business at PerkinElmer, Inc., and earlier in his career held manufacturing and engineering leadership positions with United Technologies and General Electric. Mr. Rennert holds master’s degrees in management and mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University.

During the three years Mr. Whiton has served as SVP of International Operations, ZOLL’s international resuscitation business has increased by over 50%. During the previous 15 years between 1998 and 2013, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Administration, playing an instrumental role in shaping the company’s mission and strategy. This led to significant company growth in revenue while ZOLL was listed on the NASDAQ, prior to ZOLL’s acquisition by Asahi Kasei in April 2012.

Prior to joining ZOLL, Mr. Whiton was Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of Ionics, Inc., a global separations technology company, which he joined in 1993. Earlier, he was a manager at Price Waterhouse. Mr. Whiton holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in accounting from Bentley College.

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