The British group, which makes orthopaedic implants, wound dressings and other surgical aids, has been cutting costs and launching products in a recovery led by elective surgeries in the U.S., offsetting a difficult Chinese market.
Sign up here.
Moving Rogers, a British national, would “enhance executive leadership and oversight of operations” in the U.S, the company said on Tuesday, adding that it would also help execute Smith+Nephew’s business strategy alongside senior U.S.-based leaders.
The U.S., which accounted for nearly 54% of company revenue in 2024, is key to its operations and growth strategy. Most of Smith+Nephew’s manufacturing bases are also in the U.S., accounting for about two thirds of products sold by it there.
Rogers’ relocation comes after the U.S. Commerce Department last week said that it had opened new national security probes into the import of medical equipment, among other goods, under the so-called “Section 232” investigations.
Smith+Nephew has not commented on the latest probe, but it had previously said that it expects to see the bulk of tariff impact in the second half of the year. To mitigate the impact, its plans involve adjusting the product flow within its manufacturing network.
The company on Tuesday also said renumeration for Rogers, 57, will be adjusted to align with U.S. market practices. His base salary will be reduced to $875,000 from $1.01 million, at current exchange rates.
It was unclear if changes to the U.S. H1B visa process, which introduced a $100,000 one-time fee for new H-1B visa petitions, would affect Roger’s move. Smith+Nephew did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reporting by Nithyashree R B and Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and Ronojoy Mazumdar