Victoria’s latest Business Ambassador, Professor Ian Meredith, is opening trade doors in the healthcare space across North America.
No doubt about it, North America is a prime strategic market for Victoria. It’s our largest source of foreign investment, and the state’s second largest two-way trading partner.
So it makes sense for the Victorian Government to appoint its third honorary Business Ambassador to this region, following on from the appointments of Maggie Zhou of Chinese e-commerce-giant Alibaba Group and Indian biotech pioneer Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.
Professor Ian Meredith is a Melbourne-born cardiologist, clinician and researcher who has spent over three decades working in Victoria and who is now based in Boston.
He’s the global Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President at Boston Scientific, a medical devices developer with 27,000 employees and annual revenue of around $A10.7 billion. Previously, he was a Melbourne professor of cardiology at Monash University, the director of MonashHeart and Monash Health and an executive director of the Monash Cardiovascular Research Centre at Monash Health.
“As Victoria’s medtech and pharma sectors continue to grow in both size and reputation, advocates such as Professor Meredith are exactly what’s needed to help promote and support the Victorian industry internationally,” observes Victoria’s Commissioner to the Americas, Michael Kapel. “He has a global reputation as a leader in the biotech and medical research sector, and is an invaluable source of knowledge, connections and access in both Australia and the Americas.”
Professor Meredith is more than happy to help facilitate introductions. “I’m very much looking forward to helping Victorian businesses engage with North America,” he says. “I’ll be working alongside an extremely professional investment and trade team from the Victorian Government based in the United States to promote Victoria’s globally-recognised expertise in biotech, digital health, medtech and clinical trials, as well as promoting the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct”.
It’s a given that his extensive contact list built up over three decades will reap dividends. “Throughout his career, he’s developed extensive networks in Boston and across North America,” observes Kapel, adding that the professor’s passion for, and connection to, Victoria make him the perfect honorary representative to advocate for the local biotech and medical research sectors.
CV snapshot: Professor Ian Meredith
In 2012, Professor Meredith was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his work as a clinician and a researcher in cardiology as well as his contributions as an advocate and advisor to the public health organisations.
His 25-plus year career as a clinical and interventional cardiologist includes:
- Performing more than 12,000 cardiac and coronary procedures
- Publishing more than 350 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters
- Championing many new treatment paradigms into daily clinical practice
- Being the chief or principal investigator on more than 50 major international multi-centre trials
