Owen Mumford, global industry leader in medical device design and manufacturing, has announced the appointment of Shirley Loh as Regional Managing Director for Asia-Pacific based at the company's Malaysian hub in Nusajaya.

Loh has both clinical and commercial experience. For the past six years she has worked for Medtronic where most recently she was Marketing Director for Medtronic's Restorative Therapy Group in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

Commenting on the appointment, Owen Mumford's Group Managing Director Jarl Severn says, "We are delighted that Shirley is joining the business. Our Malaysian hub was Owen Mumford's first manufacturing facility to open outside the UK and in the past three years we have seen strong growth across the Asia-Pacific region. However, given the growing prevalence of conditions such as diabetes, particularly in the emerging markets, I believe Owen Mumford has a greater role to play in the management of the condition across the region. Shirley has worked in the medical device sector for more than two decades and has both the skills and the experience to further establish our brand in this market."

Loh welcomes the opportunity to lead the Malaysian team and from Day One she will focus on establishing an effective and efficient market access strategy.

Speaking about her priorities she comments, "I am very excited to be joining Owen Mumford as they focus on expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. The market here is very established but we recognise that there is considerable growth in demand."

"A report from the World Health Organisation in 2014 set the global figure of those with diabetes at 422m, with a higher prevalence in the emerging markets within the region. This includes China where more than 11% of adults are believed to have the condition."

Loh continues, "These figures are clearly very worrying and as a responsible business Owen Mumford has a key role to play in identifying how we can support the developing markets most effectively, helping to raise awareness and improve communications, as well as using innovation to deliver a service to these markets."

"I look forward to establishing Owen Mumford's role in tackling this issue and also to generating more awareness of our capabilities as a business, both as a medical device supplier and as a partner in delivering innovative healthcare solutions."