Henry Schein hires Mark Hillebrandt, former Amazon executive
Henry Schein in Melville hired a former Amazon executive to fill a newly created position of vice president, marketing, North America Dental Group Credit: Barry Sloan
Henry Schein Inc., the Melville medical products distributor that is facing competition from Amazon.com Inc., has hired a former executive of the online giant.
Henry Schein Monday announced it had hired Mark Hillebrandt to fill the newly created position of vice president, marketing, North America Dental Group.
Hillebrandt was the business leader for professional dental, medical and scientific products at Seattle-based Amazon from September 2015 to February, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Amazon, with 2017 sales of $177.9 billion, is best known as an online retailer. But its Amazon Business website sells to commercial customers, including Henry Schein’s core market of the office practices of dentists, veterinarians and physicians.
In February, Chicago-based Morningstar issued a research note warning that Henry Schein’s stock faced pressure amid stiff competition from “online” rivals and “new entrants.”
Hillebrandt will lead the “traditional and digital marketing initiatives” within the dental business, Henry Schein said in a news release.
“The digital transformation occurring in the oral health profession provides remarkable opportunities for clinicians and their suppliers to provide a better experience to patients while improving clinical care,” Hillebrandt said in a statement.
Henry Schein posted sales of $12.5 billion in 2017, including about $6 billion to dental customers.
Shares of Henry Schein rose 3.7 percent Tuesday, to close at $69.34. The stock has declined about 20 percent over the past 12 months.
Ken Schachter covers corporate news, including technology and aerospace, and other business topics for Newsday. He has also worked at The Miami Herald and The Jerusalem Post.
