Cook Medical Names New President, Opens Innovation Center in Ireland

Cook Medical, part of Cook Group Incorporated, has a new president.

The Bloomington, Ind.-based company now has Pete Yonkman at its helm, a 12-year veteran of the company.

Yonkman most recently served as executive vice president overseeing Cook Medical’s 10 strategic business units. He joined Cook in 2001 as corporate counsel and has held numerous positions within the company including vice president of Asian operations, chief legal officer, and president of Cook Urological.

“Cook is an amazing company run by a family unlike any other in the world. It is an honor and incredibly humbling experience to have the opportunity to help continue the Cook story,” said Yonkman. “Our culture as a company is ideal for adapting to the rapid pace of change we see in healthcare today. As long as we maintain our values, tackling those challenges and pursuing the exciting new opportunities we see for helping patients will be a lot of fun for us all. I can’t wait to see where the future takes us.”

After earning undergraduate degrees in psychology and philosophy at Indiana University in Bloomington, Yonkman also earned a law degree from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

“Cook Medical has been blessed with success because we have always pursued what’s best for patients, employees and the communities where we work and live,” said Kem Hawkins, president of Cook Group Incorporated. “As we move into the future, maintaining that same focus in the midst of a dynamic and challenging marketplace will be critical. Pete’s deep experience across all of our businesses, combined with his commitment to our patient-centered mission, will serve Cook and our patients extremely well.”

Hawkins, while no longer at the head of the medical division, remains president of the Cook Group.

Cook Medical includes divisions such as Urology, Endoscopy, Aortic Intervention, Critical Care, Interventional Radiology, Surgery, Peripheral Intervention, Women’s Health, Lead Management and Otolaryngology. The Cook Group parent company has other affiliates, including Cook Aviation and real estate development company CFC Inc.

New Irish R&D Center

Cook Medical also opened its new state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) innovation center at its plant in Limerick, Ireland. 

“Life sciences is a key sector targeted in our action plan for jobs, and we have put in place a range of changes to support growth in this sector, such as the establishment of a Health Innovation,” said Richard Bruton, Ireland’s minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. “Today’s announcement that Cook Medical is establishing a state-of-the-art innovation center in Limerick with an investment of 10 million euros is a very welcome vote of confidence in the sector. I wish them every success and hope that, with the right supports from government, we can see further growth in the future.”