New CEO aims to restore confidence in Invacare

ELYRIA, Ohio – Geoffrey Purtill, Invacare’s interim president and CEO, is the type of leader who keeps finding himself in turnaround situations and his current appointment is no different. 

Purtill, who was named by the board of directors to replace Matt Monaghan in late August, has also led – and still does lead – the company’s Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific businesses. 

“When I took over APAC, it didn’t have the proper foundation to support sustainable growth,” he said. “We made many positive changes, including significant restructuring and streamlining the business. We expanded into Thailand and now we have the infrastructure to expand into Southeast Asia. When I took over Europe, I applied those learnings, as well as the knowledge gained from working on the global strategy, to improve operations, efficiencies and the customer experience, and, ultimately, profits. I anticipate those actions will be applied to North America and globally with similar results.” 

Twelve years ago, Purtill joined Invacare to run the company’s business in Australia and New Zealand, which expanded into APAC. Last December, he added EMEA to his responsibilities. 

Purtill spoke with HME News about restoring confidence in the company. 

HME News: Why was it, as the board stated, the right time for new leadership? 

Geoffrey Purtill: Look, I think the board evaluated that it was the right time to make a change to execute the business transformation program. They saw (in me) a track record of global leadership and supply chain expertise and industry experience. I’ve also been an integral part of the global strategic initiative, in addition to leading EMEA and APAC. Also, because I come from outside the U.S., I bring a fresh perspective. 

HME: What’s that perspective? 

Purtill: I think, as I was looking after APAC, I got to see the company from the outside in. You experience the effect of being the customer of the big entity and so from that perspective you kind of understand the customer and supplier view. It brings a different perspective of what we can do to improve the business. 

HME: What’s your role as interim president and CEO? To keep the ship afloat? 

Purtill: I’ve been given full authority to drive the transformation plan that has been developed in the past several months. I’ve been part of developing that plan, so I know it quite well. I do believe that we will accelerate certain high-return elements of the plan and prioritize the order of some elements. 

HME: What does that plan look like? 

Purtill: We see a strong opportunity to drive substantial changes to the business with the goal of strengthening relations with vendors, customers and employees, and, ultimately, improving the profitability for shareholders. 

HME: What’s an example of how you plan to do that? 

Purtill: For us, right now, we have to establish trust with our vendors. We still have a challenging supply chain and we need to lubricate the supply chain in a way that allows us to deliver products to customers and restore confidence. We want them to feel confident that we can provide them with the right tools and deliver on our mission of “Making Life’s Experiences Possible.” 

HME: Invacare is an iconic company in the HME industry – one that has struggled post-consent decree and currently with supply chain challenges. What does the company have going for it? 

Purtill: We’re still the biggest player with the broadest footprint of operations in the industry. We have an extensive line of clinical complex solutions across multiple product categories that address the 24-hour continuum of care. We have a strong culture of innovation and continue to design new products that address the needs of end users. The demand for our products is still very durable. 

HME: Could you potentially be named the permanent president and CEO? 

Purtill: I’m certainly working as if I’m going to be, but that’s up to the board. My goal is that they won’t need anyone else.