McKinsey’s Values and Value Event to Feature Robert Chase of NewGen Surgical and Samantha Smith of Medtronic
Series to Feature Sustainability and ESG Panel on “Design for Sustainability”
San Rafael, California, September 20, 2022- McKinsey’s Values and Value event series convenes ESG leaders from across the Life Sciences industry to discuss the hot topics, questions, wins, and challenges that arise on the path to improving the industry’s environmental and social impact.
During the session, Rob Chase, Founder and President of NewGen Surgical, and Samantha Smith, Director at Medtronic’s Sustainability Development Center will discuss the driving catalysts behind MedTech’s acceleration towards more sustainable products and packaging, challenges organizations are facing in designing for sustainability and key levers to pull when designing products and packaging today.
Rob Chase is the founder and president of NewGen Surgical, a manufacturer of sustainably designed single-use disposable medical devices. He has over 25 years of experience in the medical device field, where he is helping to minimize the plastic waste generated in healthcare by reimagining single-use surgical products used in the millions. With professional affiliations including the American Sustainable Business Council and Practice Greenhealth’s Greening the OR Initiative, Rob is driven to introduce surgical product solutions that decrease the environmental impact of single-use disposables and facilitate a transition off our dependence on non-renewable fossil fuels for non-essential plastics. Rob holds a master’s degree in strategic leadership and a certificate in sustainability from Dominican University of California. Rob was recognized as a 2019 GameChanger by NorthBay Biz magazine and NewGen Surgical received the 2018 Green Arrow Award from the California Product Stewardship Council.
Samantha Smith is the Director at Medtronic’s Sustainability Development Center where she is shaping the future of sustainability in the medical device industry. She has over 20 years of experience in Packaging Design and Development. Before joining Medtronic she worked as a Packaging Engineer for such companies as Honeywell, Procter & Gamble, BIC Consumer Products, and Energizer. Since she joined Medtronic 9 years ago, she has held different roles at the company that focused on Packaging Design Development and Global Supply Management. She also managed its Packaging Lab. Samantha holds a BS in Packaging Science from Michigan State University.
About NewGen Surgical Inc.
NewGen Surgical, Inc. develops and manufactures sustainably designed, plant-based, single-use medical devices and products. The company’s mission is to offer clinically effective product solutions to measurably reduce plastic and Scope 3 CO2 emissions. NewGen Surgical products are California Prop 65 compliant; free of intentionally added BPA or BPA derived plastics, mercury, phthalates, PFAs, and PVC, and are USDA BioPreferred certified. Currently, the company offers 6 product lines, available direct or through major national distributors and internationally with approved CE mark. Founded in 2012 in the San Francisco Bay Area, NewGen Surgical is a member of the American Sustainable Business Council, a supporter of Practice Greenhealth, and a recipient of the California Product Stewardship Council 2018 Green Arrow Award for circular economy innovation.
About McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm committed to helping organizations create Change that Matters. In more than 130 cities and 65 countries, our teams help clients across the private, public, and social sectors shape bold strategies and transform the way they work, embed technology where it unlocks value, and build capabilities to sustain the change. Not just any change, but Change that Matters—for their organizations, their people, and in turn society at large.
