The Philip Nowell Story

“I’m not the student. I am the practitioner.

I am not talking about what I’ve concluded from studying business. I am offering what I know to be true from hands-on experience – from the doing, from being there.”

- Philip Nowell

Origins

 

Being from simple northern English roots brings a no-fuss straight to the point style. I’ve also been fortunate to live in Australia, which I now call home, and the United States, experiences that together helped me to round out my world view.

I started my working life in clinical practice and this experience, with the education that went before, has been foundational in developing my commitment to, and understanding of, a surgeon’s great quandary – how to improve what we do for our patients.

Having built a successful clinical practice, and moved across the world to Australia, it was time to move on and test myself in new environments.

 

Learnings

 

I jumped over to the commercial side of the industry when J&J brought me into the Ethicon Endosurgery launch team. I learnt sales and marketing at this great company and will be ever grateful for the opportunity.

I was drawn back into health services on the commercial side and learnt a massive amount when I played a business development executive role in building a national pathology business and from taking a lead role in the recovery of a major medical centre group.

To add business balance to my clinical and surgical education, during this period I successfully completed my MBA, completed the course work but didn’t finish a Masters in Commercial Law (a move to the USA interrupted my studies) and more recently completed the AICD Company Directors Course in Australia.

 

Driving

 

All of these foundational experiences, and the education that supported them, led to two major career milestones.

Over a ten year period, I scaled up Cook Medical’s aortic device business into a global top three market position, trading in all the major markets of the Americas, EMEA and the AsiaPac. 

Following my Cook Medical experience, I played a lead role in developing the strategy that resulted in the Ascyrus Medical sale to CryoLife Inc in 2020 for a total of US$200M.

 

Future

 

Invention, innovation, is a creative pursuit and needs the balance of discipline in its commercial journey.

I am not the inventor, the creator. I understand the discipline that can turn ideas into sustainable businesses. I plan to continue to work with inventors, creators and founders who need that discipline.

“Disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought and who take disciplined action …. this is the cornerstone of a culture that creates greatness.

When you blend a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get a magical alchemy resulting in superior performance.”

- Jim Collins: Good to Great - 2001