Executive team

Dig Howitt

CEO & President

Dig was appointed Chief Executive Officer and President of Cochlear in January 2018. He joined Cochlear in 2000 and has held several positions in both Manufacturing and Logistics and the Asia Pacific Region.

Prior to joining Cochlear, Dig worked as a consultant for the Boston Consulting Group and held general management positions in Boral and Sunstate Cement.

Dig is a member of the Champions of Change Coalition, STEM group. Dig is also a Fellow of Engineers Australia.

Qualifications: BE (Hons), MBA

Dr Sarah Thom

Chief Financial Officer

Sarah was appointed as Chief Financial Officer in January 2025.

Prior to Cochlear, Sarah was a Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and co-lead of BCG’s health care business in Australia and New Zealand. Sarah brings over a decade of deep experience in strategy, performance enhancement and investment evaluation in health care, medtech and other highly regulated sectors.

Sarah also spent several years as a research scientist supported by a US National Science Foundation fellowship at the University of California.

Qualifications: PhD(Astrophysics), MSc(Astrophysics), BSc(Physics, with Highest Honors)

Jan Janssen

Chief Technology Officer

Jan joined Cochlear in 2000 and was appointed Senior Vice President Research & Development in 2005.

Jan leads a team of over 600 highly qualified engineers and scientists who implement the R&D strategy with responsibility for identifying and developing cutting-edge technology and bringing these innovations through to commercialisation.

In 2017 Jan was appointed Chief Technology Officer and took on the additional accountability for Business Development. Since 2019 he has also been accountable for Quality and Regulatory Affairs.

Jan holds 12 granted patents in the field of implantable hearing technology.

Qualifications: MScEE

Lisa Aubert

President, North America

Lisa is responsible for the development and execution of the strategic direction for our North America operations.

Lisa was appointed as President, Americas Region in April 2022. Lisa joined Cochlear in 1994 and has deep experience across the Company in roles in Europe and the United States, including General Manager of UK/Ireland/South Africa, Regional Director of Europe North and most recently Vice President of Sales for Cochlear North America and Chair of Cochlear’s Global Sales Council.

Lisa has been working in the cochlear implant specialty for over 30 years and was once a customer of Cochlear’s. She was the primary research audiologist on one of the first cochlear implant programs in the UK.

Qualifications: BA Communication Disorders, MA in Audiology, MBA

Stu Sayers

President, Asia Pacific & Latin America

Stu was appointed as President, Asia Pacific & Latin America in January 2025 and is responsible for the development and execution of the strategic direction for all our operations in Australia, Asia, the South Pacific and Latin America. Stu joined Cochlear in July 2016 and previously held positions of President, Services and Chief Financial Officer.

Stu has a wealth of experience in establishing and building customer focused technology and online businesses. Stu ran Amazon’s subsidiary Audible in Asia Pacific, as well as E*TRADE and Yahoo!7 in Australia and New Zealand. He previously held senior roles with ANZ and McKinsey.

Qualifications: BEc (Hons), MBA

Anthony Bishop

President, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)

Anthony was appointed President, EMEA in January 2025 and is responsible for the development and execution of the strategic direction for all our operations in Europe and Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Anthony joined Cochlear in July 2016 and was previously President, Asia Pacific & Latin America. 

With nearly 30 years of experience in the MedTech industry, including over 20 years at Johnson & Johnson Medical, Anthony has held various roles in general management and sales & marketing across country, regional, and global contexts. Anthony’s professional journey has taken him to Australia, NZ, Singapore, the UK, China, and the USA.

Qualifications: BBus (Hons), MManagement, GAICD

Dean Phizacklea

Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Marketing

Dean joined Cochlear in June 2016 and is responsible for product and services planning, marketing and commercialisation, customer acquisition, consumer marketing, innovation, market access, insights, brand, and corporate communications.

Dean has more than 20 years’ experience in medical devices and pharmaceuticals, covering a range of senior commercial roles in the US, Japan, Europe and Australia. Prior to joining Cochlear, Dean led Global Strategic Marketing for Abbott Diabetes Care. Other roles include General Manager for Abbott’s pharmaceutical and diabetes care businesses in Australia/New Zealand and commercial roles in Asia with AstraZeneca.

Qualifications: BSc Microbiology, MBA

Karen O’Driscoll

Chief Information Officer

Karen has global responsibility for Cochlear’s information technology strategy and management. She leads a team of more than 350 information technology professionals and is responsible for strengthening business processes and systems to improve efficiency and agility, enabling the business to be more scalable and provide even better solutions for customers.

Karen joined Cochlear in February 2023. Prior to Cochlear, Karen was Group Executive for Digital Services for Ventia Ltd and brings over 20 years of experience across pharmaceuticals and infrastructure industries.

Qualifications: BSc (Hons), GAICD

Greg Bodkin

Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain

Greg has functional responsibility for new product industrialisation, sourcing & procurement, global manufacturing and logistics. These functions enable the technologies developed in design and development to be supplied as commercial products in Cochlear’s global markets. In addition, he leads the management of Cochlear's Global Property, facilities and corporate procurement functions.

Greg joined Cochlear in 2007 as Head of Supply with 20 years’ prior experience in supply chain management and operations consulting positions, including appointments at Taylor Ceramic Engineering, Warman International Ltd, Weir Minerals PLC and National Australia Bank.

Qualifications: BE (Hons), MComm

Jennifer Hornery

Senior Vice President, Global People & Culture

Jennifer joined Cochlear in 2008 working in senior HR business partnering roles until her appointment as SVP, Global People & Culture in 2017. Her focus is to ensure the right strategic capabilities, organisation and culture are in place to support Cochlear’s performance and growth aspirations.

Prior to Cochlear, Jennifer worked in commercial, finance, strategy and HR leadership roles across a number of industries in Australia and the US, including senior positions at Campbell Arnott’s and Booz & Company.

Qualifications: BComm, MBA, GAICD

Brian Kaplan

Senior Vice President, Global Clinical Strategy and Innovation

Brian joined Cochlear in 2016 and manages clinical strategy and innovation for Cochlear. He is responsible for the clinical data to support present and future products and services. Brian dedicates two-thirds of his time to his role at Cochlear, while continuing to direct a cochlear implant surgical practice at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

Brian's past research interests have included hearing loss, balance disorders, and hair cell regeneration. His current practice focuses on adult and paediatric otology, with an emphasis on hearing restoration. Brian is board-certified in otolaryngology and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Qualifications: BNeuroSci, BA, MD, FACS

Rob McGrory

Group General Counsel & Company Secretary

Rob was appointed as Group General Counsel in September 2023 and as Company Secretary in April 2024. Rob is responsible for Cochlear’s corporate legal and governance functions.

Rob has more than 25 years of experience as an-house lawyer working across diverse industries from electricity generation, energy trading, and financial services. Most recently Rob was a General Counsel at Westpac Group.

Qualifications: BBus (Accountancy), LLB, LLM, Grad Dip in Legal Practice.