Isabel Afonso
Managing Director and Head of International
Who We Are
Performance Health is a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the rehabilitation and sports medicine markets. The company’s products are sold to leading healthcare facilities and practitioners such as physical therapists, athletic trainers, and chiropractors, as well as direct to consumers. Its market-leading brands, which are sold in over 100 countries, include Biofreeze®, TheraBand®, TheraPearl®, Cramer®, Sammons Preston®, and Rolyan®. Performance Health is headquartered in the greater Chicago, Illinois area, with significant operations both in the US and internationally.
Our Purpose
We help people feel good, perform better and live their best.
Our Vision
To be a global leader in rehabilitation, recovery, and sports performance.
Our Values
We always operate with the highest integrity.
We work collaboratively.
We are passionate about achieving results.
Our Leadership
READ BIO
→
→
Isabel Afonso
Managing Director and Head of International
Isabel is the Managing Director and Head of International at Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation markets. Isabel is responsible for leading our commercial business in all markets outside of North America.
Isabel previously served on the Sandoz Executive Committee from 2015 to July 2018 as the Head of Global Commercial Operations. In this role, Isabel was responsible for over $3 billion of global franchises (including OTC, oncology and anti-infectives) and had responsibility for global portfolio management, global business development & licensing, M&A, and new product launch management. Additionally, she was also responsible for the global Novartis Social Business initiative.
Isabel previously served as country head of Sandoz Switzerland and then as general manager for a cluster of Western European countries including Switzerland, Austria, and Belgium. Isabel began her career at Novartis in the Pharma business in 2002 as a project manager for its ERP implementation, rapidly progressing to the Novartis Group IT leadership team. She then pursued a commercial career by General Management Rotation Program, where she worked as a sales rep and in marketing within Novartis Consumer Health, while attending INSEAD business school in France and Singapore.
Prior to joining Novartis, Isabel worked in Portugal in two top national retail companies. In addition, she was the Co-founder and General Manager of a private school.
A Portuguese national, Isabel has a bachelor's degree in computer science engineering from the Universidade do Minho in Portugal and an executive degree in General Management from INSEAD in France and Singapore, and has attended executive programs with IMD, Harvard Business School and Wharton.
Isabel is passionate about growing businesses, people, and herself, drives performance results through purpose, and enjoys working in a multi-cultural environment. She is married, has three children, and lives in Basel, Switzerland.
READ BIO
→
→
Daniel Baumwald
Vice President, North America Retail & eCommerce
Daniel Baumwald
Vice President, North America Retail & eCommerce
Daniel Baumwald is the Vice President and General Manager of North America Retail for Performance Health, where he leads a geographically dispersed sales and marketing group with responsibility for all channels and sizes of retail accounts as well as the commercial elements of the company’s digital presence. His team brings products to life on store shelves and digital planograms worldwide and his long term vision drives the strategic positioning, retail presentation and packaging, and consumer outreach of brands such as Biofreeze, TheraBand, Cramer Sports Medicine, Bon Vital, TheraPearl and others in the Performance Health portfolio. IRi recently named Biofreeze as the #2 Non-foods New product Launch of 2017 coming in just over $78 million. .
Previously, Daniel was co-founder and President of TheraPearl, where he generated years of triple digit growth to rapidly propel the upscale line of hot/cold packs from non-existent in 2008 to #1 in North America in 2014. TheraPearl was named to the Inc. 500 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2013 & 2014 and recognized by Forbes Magazine in 2014 as one of America’s Most Promising Companies. At TheraPearl, Daniel created brand and licensing opportunities with key partners such as Lansinoh Laboratories, The Boppy Company, Bausch and Lomb and The NFL Players Association.
Mr. Baumwald was previously Director, National Accounts for the Drug Channel at the Coca-Cola Company. He joined Coca-Cola in 2007 as part of its acquisition of Glaceau, the makers of vitaminwater and smartwater, where he was responsible for the Mid-Atlantic Region which saw yearly sales grow from under $2 million to over $100 million during his tenure. A trusted, key leader in a company that created the enhanced water category, Baumwald was responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with many of the company’s leading distributors and retailers, and also key partners such as professional sports teams, celebrity endorsers and other allies. Prior to Glaceau, Daniel had responsibility for marketing and events for the Washington Redskins.
A 15 year veteran of the consumer products industry with a track record of responsibility for extraordinary growth in organizations spanning in scale from bootstrap startups to the most recognized brand in the world, Daniel is a serial entrepreneur, investor and brand builder, Baumwald boasts deep experience with a wide range of categories such as Food & Beverage, Health & Fitness, Therapy & Rehabilitation, OTC Drug and Personal Care and has personally done business with almost all of the top 100 retailers in North America.
Baumwald’s leadership style is grounded in his core values of passion, ownership and sense of urgency, which he vocally and repeatedly espouses to employees, colleagues, partners and customers alike. Living by the motto, “Personality with a purpose”, Dan’s infectious personality is all about winning, but making sure to have fun while doing so. Daniel holds a B.S. in Sports and Event Management from Shepherd University and resides in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife and three children.
READ BIO
→
→
Laurie Byrne
Chief Human Resources Officer
Laurie Byrne
Chief Human Resources Officer
Laurie has over 20 years of experience in the field of Talent Management, Organization Development, Learning Development, Corporate and Executive Talent Acquisition, Global University Relations, Global Mobility and Workforce Planning.
Laurie joined Performance Health as the global leader of Human Resources. Prior to Performance Health, Laurie served as the Executive Vice President of Human Resources at LifeWatch AG; a global medical device company headquartered in Zug Switzerland.
Prior to LifeWatch, Laurie was the VP of Talent Management for Catamaran, a $21B company headquartered in Schaumburg, IL; a rapidly growing company at the center of the changing healthcare landscape. Laurie was responsible for all recruitment, leadership and employee development, learning management and succession planning for this leader in Pharmacy Benefit Management solutions recently acquired by UnitedHealth Group/Optum.
Prior to Catamaran, Laurie spent 5 years as the VP of Global Staffing and Talent Development for Stryker, a $9B global leader in medical technology and device overseeing the talent management of over 22,000 employees in 80 countries. Prior Stryker and founding Honor Roll, Laurie spent 9 years as principal for Lab Consulting, a Strategic Human Resources consulting firm, whose client list included such companies as Baxter Healthcare, Dade/Behring, Alliant Foods and Biogenex.
Laurie was the Director of Staffing for U.S Distribution (formally Hospital Sales & Distribution) of Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Deerfield, IL. She was responsible for all entry level through senior level internal and external talent acquisition, leadership development rotation programs and internal mobility, as well as the largest segment of university relations for this global medical technology company.
READ BIO
→
→
Michael McGoohan
Chief Marketing Officer
Michael McGoohan
Chief Marketing Officer
Mike McGoohan is the Chief Marketing Officer of Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation markets. Its market-leading brands, which are sold in over 100 countries, include Biofreeze®, TheraBand®, TheraPearl®, Cramer®, Sammons Preston®, and Rolyan®. In his role, Mike is responsible for leading Performance Health’s global growth agenda, including brand marketing, innovation, strategy, insights & analytics and communications.
Prior to joining Performance Health, Mike was the Vice President, Global Head of Strategy, Insights and Analytics for Mondelēz International. Mondelēz International (NSDQ: MDLZ) is a leading global snack food manufacturer with annual revenue of ~$26 billion and operations in more than 80 countries. In his role, Mike had global responsibility for strategic planning & portfolio strategy, M&A strategy, shopper insights, consumer insights and commercial analytics, including forecasting, pricing and media/ marketing analytics. Under his leadership, Mike built a high performing ~350 person global team and a developed a successful growth agenda, resulting in record total shareholder return for the company and +600 bps of operating margin over four years. Prior to this role, Mike also held roles leading Strategy and M&A & Corporate Development for Mondelēz.
Prior to Mondelēz, Mike worked as a management consultant for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he focused his work on the Consumer Goods and Sports industries. Before joining BCG, Mike managed the Strategic Partnerships group for Chip Ganassi Racing, a NASCAR and Indy Car racing team based in Charlotte, N.C., where he focused on new business development efforts, strategic marketing initiatives, and the development of comprehensive sports marketing programs. Mike started his career as a management consultant for Deloitte Consulting in the Strategy and Operations group.
Mike received his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College. Currently, Mike is the Chair of the Ross School of Business Alumni Board of Governors. In the past, Mike served as a member of the Board of Directors for Back to Nature Foods, helping lead the business to a successful purchase by B&G Foods in 2017.
Mike is married and the proud father of four boys. In addition to spending time with family and friends, Mike enjoys sports, live music and travel
READ BIO
→
→
Sean Muniz
Chief Supply Chain Officer, Distribution
Sean Muniz
Chief Supply Chain Officer, Distribution
Sean Muniz is an operations professional with more than 25 years of experience in business operations transformation, international distribution, risk management, vendor and supplier relationship management, and SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. He is a collaborative leader with a proven record of driving operational excellence in production, quality, optimization and cost reduction.
Sean is currently serving as Chief Supply Chain Officer - Distribution for Performance Health, formerly Patterson Medical Supply, Inc, a value-added distributor and manufacturer serving the rehabilitation and sports medicine markets. This comes after an extensive career with Patterson Companies, Inc. where he was most recently its Chief Supply Chain Officer.
Sean received his Bachelor of Science in Management from Orion College. He proudly serves as Chair Emeritus on the Ashland Productions board of directors, Bailey Nurseries board member, and is currently active in national professional supply chain and operations organizations.
READ BIO
→
→
Greg Nulty
Chief Financial Officer
Greg Nulty
Chief Financial Officer
Greg Nulty is the Chief Financial Officer at Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation markets. Greg has spent the past 16 years with Novartis Group, most recently serving as CFO of Sandoz’s nearly $4 billion North America business in Princeton, NJ since 2016. Prior to this, Greg was the head of Business Planning and Analysis for Sandoz globally from 2013 – 2016 in Munich, Germany, and between 2011 and 2013, he served as CFO of Sandoz’s Asia Pacific based in Singapore. Prior to this, Greg served as head of Business Planning and Analysis globally at Novartis’s Consumer Health division from 2009- 2011, after serving as CFO of Western Europe for Sandoz from 2005-2007. Greg began his career with Novartis as a senior controller. Prior to joining Novartis, he worked in corporate finance with Andersen and as an Auditor with Ernst & Young, both in his native South Africa, as well as with Merrill Lynch in London. Greg received his MBA from INSEAD and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Cape Town, where he graduated with high distinction.
READ BIO
→
→
Adam Shapiro
Chief Information Officer
Adam Shapiro
Chief Information Officer
Adam Shapiro is the Chief Information Officer at Performance Health, a leader in consumer healthcare and the largest global manufacturer and distributor of products to the physical therapy, sports medicine, and rehabilitation markets. Prior to Performance Health, Adam served as the Vice President of Information Technology at Dover Corporation; a global $8B conglomerate of industrial products headquartered in Downers Grove, IL.
Prior to Dover Corporation, Adam was the Sr. Director of Global Information Technology for Avery Dennison, a $7B company headquartered in Glendale, CA; a global leader of pressure-sensitive adhesive materials, apparel labels and tags. Adam was responsible for supply chain, manufacturing and Finance IT leadership driving innovative technology initiatives across complex global landscapes.
Prior to Avery Dennison, Adam spent over 10 years with various operational and IT leadership roles with Boston Scientific, ThinkFlood,Inc and Geerlings & Wade. His mix of start-up and Fortune 500 experience has delivered both foundational and transformational value across a wide spectrum of complex global environments. Adam’s ability to achieve the right balance of people, process and technology has been critical in delivering a cohesive IT strategy that delivers key operational and process benefits.Adam earned a BS in Marketing and Communication from Indiana University and an MBA from Tulane University.
READ BIO
→
→
Taylor Smith
Vice President, North American Clinical Distribution
Taylor Smith
Vice President, North American Clinical Distribution
Taylor leads sales and marketing for the US Rehab, Medco and Canada business units.
Taylor most recently has been with Hill-Rom where he served as Senior Vice President & President of the Corporate Solutions Group. In this role, he led the team responsible for a “One Hill-Rom” strategic approach to large hospital customers, which included corporate sales and marketing, national accounts, new construction, sales excellence, as well as enterprise IDN sales. Prior to Hill-Rom, Taylor spent thirteen years at Cardinal Health where he held several positions of increasing responsibility including Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cardinal’s Surgical Products and Services group. Before joining Cardinal, he worked with both Accordus and McKesson Corporation.
Taylor earned a BS in business administration from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
Our Board of Directors
READ BIO
→
→
Harry Kraemer
Chairman
Harry Kraemer
Chairman
Mr. Kraemer is the Chairman of Performance Health's board, an Executive Partner at MDP, and also a Clinical Professor of Management and Strategy at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baxter International. Mr. Kraemer serves on the Boards of Directors of Leidos Corporation, Option Care, and Sirona Dental Systems. He is the former currently Chairman of VWR International. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Northwestern University, The Conference Board, NorthShore University Healthsystem, and the Archdiocese of Chicago Finance Committee and School Board. He is a member of the Dean's Global Advisory Board of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He is also a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and the Economics Club of Chicago. Mr. Kraemer graduated summa cum laude from Lawrence University of Wisconsin in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and economics. He received an MBA degree in finance and accounting from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 1979.
READ BIO
→
→
Manuel A.H. Brocke-Benz
Board Member
Manuel A.H. Brocke-Benz
Board Member
Mr. Brocke-Benz is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of VWR. From July 25, 2012 to January 3, 2013, Mr. Brocke-Benz served as VWR’s interim Chief Executive Officer, while also serving as the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, Lab and Distribution Services, a position he held since January 2006. Prior to assuming his position as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, Lab and Distribution Services, he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Continental Europe from 2003 to 2005 and as Corporate Senior Vice President, Process Excellence from 2001 to 2003. Mr. Brocke-Benz initially joined the Company in 1987. He serves on the Board of VWR. Mr. Brocke-Benz earned a law degree from Albert-Ludwigs University in Freiburg, Germany.
READ BIO
→
→
Scott Brown
Board Member
Scott Brown
Board Member
Mr. Brown is President, Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of Sage Products. A 33-year veteran of the healthcare industry, he came to Sage in 1981 as the company’s first New England Sales Representative and helped establish the company’s presence on the East Coast. Scott moved his way up the Sage ladder in various leadership roles within Sales, Marketing, and Corporate Accounts – working to develop and maintain Sage’s status as a leader within the healthcare industry. Mr. Brown’s dedication to Sage culminated with his promotion to President and COO in 2006. Upon the sale of Sage to Madison Dearborn Partners in 2012 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer. He serves on the Boards of The Family Health Partnership Clinic, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, Crystal Lake Bank & Trust – a Wintrust Bank and the Advisory Boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Sage YMCA. Scott graduated from Boston College in 1979.
READ BIO
→
→
Paul Diaz
Board Member
Paul Diaz
Board Member
Mr. Diaz is the Founder of Guidon Partners and former Chief Executive Officer of Kindred Healthcare from January 2004 to March 2015. Mr. Diaz previously held leadership positions with Allegis Health Systems, Mariner Health and Capella Senior Living. He also serves on the board of DaVita, the Georgetown University Law Center, Business Roundtable and the Wall Street Journal CEO Council. Mr. Diaz previously was a member of the Health Advisory Board at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Pharmerica.
READ BIO
→
→
Robin Selati
Board Member
Robin Selati
Board Member
Rob Selati co-founded MDP and is a Senior Advisor to the firm. He served as Managing Director through 2017. Before co-founding MDP, Rob was with Alex Brown & Sons Incorporated. Rob currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc. and previously served on the Boards of Directors of Beverages & More, Inc. (“Bevmo”), B.F. Bolthouse Holdco LLC, Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., CDW Corporation, Family Christian Stores, Inc., Peter Piper, Inc., Things Remembered, Inc., Tuesday Morning Corporation and The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. He is also a member of the Yale University Development Council, and serves on the National and Central Region Board of Directors for the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
READ BIO
→
→
Jason Shideler
Board Member
Jason Shideler
Board Member
Mr. Shideler is a Director on the MDP Health Care team. Mr. Shideler joined MDP in 2006 as an Associate and re-joined after business school in 2010. Prior to MDP, he was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Health Care Group at J.P. Morgan. Mr. Shideler serves on the Board of Directors of Performance Health and Kaufman Hall. He formerly served on the Board of Directors of Ikaria and Sage Products, and was actively involved in MDP's investment in VWR. Mr. Shideler holds a B.S. from the University of Texas and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
READ BIO
→
→
Joanne Smith
Board Member
Joanne Smith
Board Member
Joanne C. Smith, MD, is a visionary leader and the driving force behind transforming the delivery of care in physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R). As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago or RIC) for the past decade, Dr. Smith has led the organization in its mission to provide the best patient outcomes through the highest-quality translational research, scientific discovery and education. Today she is leading the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab into its bold vision for the future: to be the global source of science-driven breakthroughs in Human Ability.
The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is the global leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation for adults and children with the most severe, complex conditions — from traumatic brain and spinal cord injury to stroke, amputation and cancer-related impairment. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, for the past 28 years in a row, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab has been named the #1 rehabilitation hospital by U.S. News & World Report. The scale of its research enterprise is the largest of its kind in the world. Under Dr. Smith’s leadership, the organization has experienced unprecedented growth and visibility. During her tenure as CEO, net revenues have increased 93% and cash reserves have grown 92%. During the same period, grant revenues have grown 107%. Dr. Smith also has extended the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s reach; today, it serves more than 50,000 patients annually, including referrals from 52 countries and nearly every state in the nation — numbers that continue to grow.
In addition to her leadership at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where she heads a team of more than 3,000 clinicians, scientists and staff, Dr. Smith is also a faculty member at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a member of several professional organizations. She serves on the Healthcare Advisory Roundtable for Madison Dearborn Partners and on the Boards of Directors for Performance Health, Inc. and AptarGroup, Inc.
Dr. Smith is widely recognized as a thought leader in her field. She was awarded the 2018 Women of Concern Humanitarian Award and shared the stage with Concern’s Leadership Award winner, Secretary Madeleine K. Albright. In 2018, she presented at the first-ever Wall Street Journal “Future of Everything Festival,” an ideas exchange focused on innovations that are transforming the world. She also was named by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of “The 25 Most Powerful Women in Chicago Business” in 2018. In 2017, Dr. Smith was inducted into the Chicago Business Hall of Fame, featuring her name and accomplishments among Chicago’s most distinguished business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Dr. Smith earned a BS, cum laude, from Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., an MD degree, with Alpha Omega Alpha distinction, from Michigan State University, and is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She also holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, which honored her with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008.
After completing her residency and chief residency at Northwestern’s Feinberg School, Dr. Smith joined RIC as a practicing physician in 1992 and served the Institute in progressively expanded clinical, service development and operating roles. In 2006, she was appointed President and CEO. In 2017, RIC became the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab with the opening of its new, state-of-the-art research hospital.
READ BIO
→
→
Timothy P. Sullivan
Board Member
Timothy P. Sullivan
Board Member
Mr. Sullivan is a Managing Director and Head of the MDP Health Care team. Prior to co-founding MDP, Mr. Sullivan was with First Chicago Venture Capital for four years after having served in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Sullivan currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Performance Health, Kaufman Hall and Option Care and has formerly served on the Board of Directors of numerous former MDP portfolio companies. He also serves on the Boards of Trustees of Northwestern University, Northwestern Memorial Healthcare, The United States Naval Academy Foundation, Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council and The Big Shoulders Fund. Additionally, he serves on the Finance and Investment Committees of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Investment Committee of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Mr. Sullivan holds a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy, and M.S. from the University of Southern California, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.