Interview with Mikael Worning President of Oticon - USA
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Topic: Profile and Perspectives
AO/Beck: Good morning Mikael. Thanks for meeting with me today.
Worning: Good morning Doug. Thank you too.
AO/Beck: I wonder if you would tell me a little about your education and what positions helped prepare you for your leadership role within the company and the industry?
Worning: I was born and raised in Denmark, and that's also where I earned my masters degree in economics at Copenhagen University. After graduation I joined Radiometer, a leading medical instrumentation company where I worked for about seven years. During my years at Radiometer, I found myself very interested in marketing and development. That led me to my position as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at Bang & Olutsen Technology, a manufacturer of audio-video equipment.
AO/Beck: And then you joined William Demant Holding?
Worning: Yes. In 1997, I joined Oticon, which is part of the William Demant group of companies. I began working on business development and actually looked at opportunities for using hearing aid technology outside the industry.
AO/Beck: What position did you hold when you started with Oticon?
Worning: I started as General Manager of Business Development. I eventually became involved in the hearing aid side of the business, co-managing one of the business teams that focused on the development of Ergo, Swift, Atlas and Sumo product lines. In 2000, I joined Oticon US as president.
AO/Beck: Okay very good, and since arriving in the States, I know you've been pretty busy! In addition to being president of Oticon, you're the new president of the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) too.
Worning: Yes, that's a relatively recent event. I had served on the BHI board a little over a year when I was given the opportunity to become more involved.
AO/Beck: I think some people are confused about the relationship between BHI and HIA. Can you talk about who's who?
Worning: BHI is an independent, not-for-profit 501c3 organization. Its' goal is promoting public awareness and information about hearing loss. Currently, BHI's major contributors are hearing aid manufacturers and suppliers and these are the same people involved in the Hearing Industries Association (HIA).
AO/Beck: What are your goals as president of BHI?
Worning: My first goal is to continue the physician referral program because we have seen terrific success with it. We believe there are still many people that could benefit from getting acquainted with and using this program. As I gain experience with BHI, I would also like to see what other outreach programs we might initiate.
AO/Beck: I recently read that Oticon was named European Business of the Year. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Worning: Oh absolutely! We were very happy and indeed honored to receive the European Business Award. It was actually awarded to William Demant Holding, which is the parent company of Oticon. In essence, the European Business Trade Federation is formed by 47 newspapers and magazines from some 23 countries. They identified William Demant Holding from a field of 6200 companies. In the final deliberation, once they had a smaller pool of contestants, they looked at key elements, such as innovative skills, corporate culture, and some of the other elements that distinguish the corporate climate and culture. They really considered the whole company, not just financial success. It was really nice to be in the same grouping with companies such as Gucci, BMW, H&M, and Nokia. It's very nice for a representative from an industry not often portrayed in the news to gain this kind of recognition. I think it's actually been good for all of us in the hearing aid industry.
AO/Beck: Was there one particular event that profiled William Demant or Oticon so they were visible to the European Business Trade Federation?
Worning: No, the award is given for consistency, not a singular event. We have received a number of awards over the years and I'm sure that our financial track record and the other awards have heightened awareness of the company. Last year we received the European Information Society Technology Award and also numerous design awards.
AO/Beck: Mikael, another thing I'd like to discuss is the Focus on People Award. I have personally interviewed many of the recipients of those awards, and they are fascinating, uplifting and encouraging people.
Worning: I agree. They are amazing. I think awarding the Oticon Focus on People Award is one of the great pleasures I have during the year. It continuously reminds me how we touch people's lives. We don't just sell products, we impact the quality of life for many, many people. The Focus on People Award helps present amazing people as role models and examples for others with and without hearing loss!
AO/Beck: Mikael, is there something we ought to be focusing on as an industry, and as a profession to help put our best foot forward?
Worning: The industry has come a long way with regard to research and technology. Unfortunately, the public perception of hearing aids as a hearing loss solution is still lagging. I think the major question is how to change that perception, and that's one of the things I think we all should be addressing. In a world where people accept more and more support and help in their general lives, it's sad to see a quality-of-life enhancing product, such as hearing aids, not having an overall better perception. I think changing perception is a large-scale undertaking and it will take lots of work, time and resources from all of us.
AO/Beck: Can you give me examples of some initiatives that might be useful, and some that won't be useful?
Worning: I do not believe we can do this through public advertising. We are a relatively small industry and it's going to be too expensive and too difficult for us to effectively manage that. I think the way to do accomplish this is more on a grassroots level, working with the allied organizations and spreading the word. I think the BHI Physician Referral Program is a good example of an activity that could reach a lot of people, but I think the hearing healthcare professionals have an obligation to reach out in their communities too. Of course, that can be done through local professional organizations, business organizations, public speaking, health fairs and other public forums. We have to be visible and project a positive image. I think it's important to understand that we are offering a solution that people don't typically seek on their own. We have to entice them to seek our help and guidance through positive images, reasonable solutions, professionalism and knowledge. I think it's very important that the professionals understand that they have an outreach responsibility.
AO/Beck: I think you're right. What can you tell me about the quality of the products and the digital paradigm shift?
Worning: I think it's evident that the products we are working with today are much better than those available 3 to 5 years ago. I think the digital paradigm shift has allowed the development of mature digital solutions and intelligence features, such as voice activated hearing aids and other advanced features. When I look into the future, I definitely see a glorious future for the industry. I think we need to work closely with patients in setting realistic and reasonable expectations for the help that they're going to receive. We have amazing tools, but they all require skilled and professional human guidance to maximize their utility for the consumer.
AO/Beck: Well, I think you just said that very well, and I know we're out of time. Thanks for chatting with me this morning.
Worning: Thank you too Doug. I appreciate all the work your team does at Audiology Online and Healthy Hearing.
Click here to visit the Oticon website.
Worning: Good morning Doug. Thank you too.
AO/Beck: I wonder if you would tell me a little about your education and what positions helped prepare you for your leadership role within the company and the industry?
Worning: I was born and raised in Denmark, and that's also where I earned my masters degree in economics at Copenhagen University. After graduation I joined Radiometer, a leading medical instrumentation company where I worked for about seven years. During my years at Radiometer, I found myself very interested in marketing and development. That led me to my position as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at Bang & Olutsen Technology, a manufacturer of audio-video equipment.
AO/Beck: And then you joined William Demant Holding?
Worning: Yes. In 1997, I joined Oticon, which is part of the William Demant group of companies. I began working on business development and actually looked at opportunities for using hearing aid technology outside the industry.
AO/Beck: What position did you hold when you started with Oticon?
Worning: I started as General Manager of Business Development. I eventually became involved in the hearing aid side of the business, co-managing one of the business teams that focused on the development of Ergo, Swift, Atlas and Sumo product lines. In 2000, I joined Oticon US as president.
AO/Beck: Okay very good, and since arriving in the States, I know you've been pretty busy! In addition to being president of Oticon, you're the new president of the Better Hearing Institute (BHI) too.
Worning: Yes, that's a relatively recent event. I had served on the BHI board a little over a year when I was given the opportunity to become more involved.
AO/Beck: I think some people are confused about the relationship between BHI and HIA. Can you talk about who's who?
Worning: BHI is an independent, not-for-profit 501c3 organization. Its' goal is promoting public awareness and information about hearing loss. Currently, BHI's major contributors are hearing aid manufacturers and suppliers and these are the same people involved in the Hearing Industries Association (HIA).
AO/Beck: What are your goals as president of BHI?
Worning: My first goal is to continue the physician referral program because we have seen terrific success with it. We believe there are still many people that could benefit from getting acquainted with and using this program. As I gain experience with BHI, I would also like to see what other outreach programs we might initiate.
AO/Beck: I recently read that Oticon was named European Business of the Year. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Worning: Oh absolutely! We were very happy and indeed honored to receive the European Business Award. It was actually awarded to William Demant Holding, which is the parent company of Oticon. In essence, the European Business Trade Federation is formed by 47 newspapers and magazines from some 23 countries. They identified William Demant Holding from a field of 6200 companies. In the final deliberation, once they had a smaller pool of contestants, they looked at key elements, such as innovative skills, corporate culture, and some of the other elements that distinguish the corporate climate and culture. They really considered the whole company, not just financial success. It was really nice to be in the same grouping with companies such as Gucci, BMW, H&M, and Nokia. It's very nice for a representative from an industry not often portrayed in the news to gain this kind of recognition. I think it's actually been good for all of us in the hearing aid industry.
AO/Beck: Was there one particular event that profiled William Demant or Oticon so they were visible to the European Business Trade Federation?
Worning: No, the award is given for consistency, not a singular event. We have received a number of awards over the years and I'm sure that our financial track record and the other awards have heightened awareness of the company. Last year we received the European Information Society Technology Award and also numerous design awards.
AO/Beck: Mikael, another thing I'd like to discuss is the Focus on People Award. I have personally interviewed many of the recipients of those awards, and they are fascinating, uplifting and encouraging people.
Worning: I agree. They are amazing. I think awarding the Oticon Focus on People Award is one of the great pleasures I have during the year. It continuously reminds me how we touch people's lives. We don't just sell products, we impact the quality of life for many, many people. The Focus on People Award helps present amazing people as role models and examples for others with and without hearing loss!
AO/Beck: Mikael, is there something we ought to be focusing on as an industry, and as a profession to help put our best foot forward?
Worning: The industry has come a long way with regard to research and technology. Unfortunately, the public perception of hearing aids as a hearing loss solution is still lagging. I think the major question is how to change that perception, and that's one of the things I think we all should be addressing. In a world where people accept more and more support and help in their general lives, it's sad to see a quality-of-life enhancing product, such as hearing aids, not having an overall better perception. I think changing perception is a large-scale undertaking and it will take lots of work, time and resources from all of us.
AO/Beck: Can you give me examples of some initiatives that might be useful, and some that won't be useful?
Worning: I do not believe we can do this through public advertising. We are a relatively small industry and it's going to be too expensive and too difficult for us to effectively manage that. I think the way to do accomplish this is more on a grassroots level, working with the allied organizations and spreading the word. I think the BHI Physician Referral Program is a good example of an activity that could reach a lot of people, but I think the hearing healthcare professionals have an obligation to reach out in their communities too. Of course, that can be done through local professional organizations, business organizations, public speaking, health fairs and other public forums. We have to be visible and project a positive image. I think it's important to understand that we are offering a solution that people don't typically seek on their own. We have to entice them to seek our help and guidance through positive images, reasonable solutions, professionalism and knowledge. I think it's very important that the professionals understand that they have an outreach responsibility.
AO/Beck: I think you're right. What can you tell me about the quality of the products and the digital paradigm shift?
Worning: I think it's evident that the products we are working with today are much better than those available 3 to 5 years ago. I think the digital paradigm shift has allowed the development of mature digital solutions and intelligence features, such as voice activated hearing aids and other advanced features. When I look into the future, I definitely see a glorious future for the industry. I think we need to work closely with patients in setting realistic and reasonable expectations for the help that they're going to receive. We have amazing tools, but they all require skilled and professional human guidance to maximize their utility for the consumer.
AO/Beck: Well, I think you just said that very well, and I know we're out of time. Thanks for chatting with me this morning.
Worning: Thank you too Doug. I appreciate all the work your team does at Audiology Online and Healthy Hearing.
Click here to visit the Oticon website.
