Advanced Bionics Welcomes New President

Advanced Bionics (AB) has appointed Alistair Simpson as its new president and group vice president (GVP) for Cochlear Implants on the Sonova Management Board, effective immediately.

Simpson replaces Vicky Carr-Brendel, Ph.D., who retired from her roles as group vice president for Cochlear Implants and president of Advanced Bionics for personal reasons. She had led Advanced Bionics for the past five years.

During her tenure, Carr-Brendel hired and retained a team in the cochlear implants space and improved Advanced Bionics’ profitability. Under her leadership, AB introduced its most successful cochlear implant sound processor, Marvel CI, and a series of technologies such as complete CI Remote Programming. She established a strong “we do it right culture” at AB, further increasing the focus on quality and compliance. She has exemplified passionate, inclusive, and performance-driven leadership, making a significant contribution to Sonova overall. 

Simpson is an experienced business executive with an excellent track record in managing full P&Ls as a general manager, including leading marketing, sales, and R&D functions. He brings longstanding expertise in operational excellence and highly regulated medical devices, including successful commercialization of multiple new products in a variety of therapeutic areas. Simpson is well-versed in interacting and building relationships with key physician contacts, and has more than 10 years of experience in operating as well as building business systems. He has multi-region professional experience, and has held various senior leadership positions in several large companies including Johnson & Johnson, Danaher, and LivaNova.

Simpson earned an MBA from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor of science degree in geography from the University of Glasgow.

“I am honored to join such an innovative company with employees who are dedicated to making a difference,” Simpson said. “AB has a strong foundation, and I look forward to working with the team to build on this success and drive further growth and innovation.”

Advanced Bionics develops hearing solutions for individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss who no longer benefit from hearing aids. Founded in 1993 and a subsidiary of the Sonova Group since 2009, AB develops cochlear implant technology that allows recipients to hear their best. AB joined Phonak as part of the Sonova Group of companies and began a collaboration. Since then, the cochlear implants and hearing aids developers have combined technologies to deliver new hearing solutions. AB boasts sales in more than 50 countries.