Philips Appoints New North America CEO

Philips has a new North American leader.

The company has appointed Brent Shafer as CEO of Philips North America, the company’s single largest market. He succeeds Greg Sebasky, who retired from Philips on Feb. 3.

Shafer is working directly with Royal Philips CEO Frans van Houten. He is no stranger to the company, having served as chief executive of Philips’ Home Healthcare Solutions business group. 

In his new role, Shafer will work to strengthen Philips’ culture of entrepreneurship and grow revenue and market share in both the United States and Canada. 

“Given the size and the dynamics of the North American market, and the opportunities that we see, we are taking decisive actions to boost new business development and grow faster than the market,” van Houten said. “In Brent we have the right leader to do just that as he brings a strong track record, both within Philips and outside of the company, of building successful businesses based on entrepreneurship and meaningful innovations.”

Shafer will work closely with the North American Healthcare team, which among others, offers patient care solutions for the hospital and the home; the Consumer Lifestyle team, which brings to market Philips Sonicare and Philips AVENT; and the North American Lighting business, which partners with cities, schools and building owners to improve public and private environments through the implementation of energy efficient and innovative lighting solutions.

Shafer became CEO of Home Healthcare Solutions, Philips Healthcare, in May 2010. He previously served as CEO of the North America region for Royal Philips Electronics, and as president/CEO of the Healthcare Sales and Service business for Philips North America.

Prior to joining Philips, Shafer was vice president and general manager of the Patient Care Environment Division for Hill-Rom Company Inc. He also has worked at GE Medical Systems, where he held key positions in sales, marketing and general management. In addition, Shafer has worked for Hewlett-Packard’s Medical Products Group, Johnson & Johnson, and Intermountain Healthcare Primary Children’s Inc.

 Shafer earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and completed additional graduate studies in business and marketing communications at the University of Utah.