Zimmer Biomet Hires Former Nevro CEO Kevin Thornal as Group President

Zimmer Biomet has appointed Kevin Thornal as its new Group President, Global Businesses and the Americas.

Thornal will join the company on July 1 to oversee the Americas commercial organization and head business strategy and execution for the company’s global Knees, Hips, S.E.T. and Data, Technology, and Enabling Solutions units.

He has over two decades of experience in the medical technology, orthopedics, and diagnostics industries. He was most recently president and CEO of Nevro, a chronic pain company that Globus Medical acquired in April.

Before Nevro, Thornal spent nine years at Hologic, where he had leadership roles of increasing responsibility including Group President of Global Diagnostics Solutions. At Hologic he led the Diagnostics Solutions business during the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw global teams in R&D, operations, and commercial as the company quickly launched new products, consistently posted double-digit growth, and grew its international footprint.

His orthopedics experience was built during his tenure at Stryker, where he had roles of growing responsibility in sales, marketing, and corporate business development from 2004 to 2014. He was head of North American sales for Stryker’s Interventional Spine business.

Zimmer Biomet president and CEO Ivan Tornos said Thornal is a welcome addition to the company’s leadership team at an exciting time for the company.

“He brings a bold desire to win and a demonstrated track record of delivering consistently strong growth, driving commercial excellence and building high-performing teams,” Tornos told the press. “I am confident his breadth and depth of experience will serve us well as we work together to elevate our U.S. performance and commercial execution, deliver value for all stakeholders, and advance our Mission of alleviating pain and improving the quality of life for people around the world.”

Thornal expressed his excitement to return to orthopedics and elevate Zimmer Biomet to becoming “the boldest company in medical technology.”

“There’s a tremendous opportunity to address key unmet needs in musculoskeletal health by helping more customers and patients access the company’s robust new product pipeline,” Thornal said. “I look forward to working with this talented team, contributing to Zimmer Biomet’s culture of collaboration and innovation and delivering meaningful outcomes for patients and customers around the world.”