NAMES IN THE NEWS

Henry Schein Appoints, Promotes Officers

MAY 2022

Henry Schein Inc. of Melville, New York, appointed Dirk Benson as vice president and chief commercial officer of the company’s North America Distribution Group (NADG), according to a release. Benson will be responsible for the entire dental and medical customer-facing organization in the US of the NADG, Henry Schein’s largest business group. He will report to Brad Connett, chief executive officer, NADG.

“Dirk is an outstanding professional,” Connett said in the release. “He is held in high regard in the industry with a track record of growing innovative businesses and leading people. Dirk has a deep knowledge of healthcare distribution, experience building teams that work across boundaries, and the energy and insight needed to help Henry Schein fulfill our strategic plan.”

Prior to Henry Schein, Benson had a 27-year career with Medline Industries LP, a privately held US manufacturer and distributor of healthcare supplies. He retired from Medline in 2020 as a member of the company’s Executive Committee. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a graduate of Marquette University, Benson joined Medline in 1993 and held a series of increasingly responsible positions at the company.

“I have long admired the success of Henry Schein and I am excited to make a contribution to advancing the innovative growth strategy of this first-class company,” Benson said in the release. “The values of the organization, the dedication of Henry Schein’s leadership and the quality of the team are well-known in the healthcare industry.”

In addition, Henry Schein named Nancy Lanni as the vice president and general manager of the newly created Strategic Account Management team, responsible for serving the company’s dental and medical distribution customers in the US as a part of Benson’s team. Lanni, who joined Henry Schein in 1995, has held increasingly responsible leadership positions at the company, most recently as the head of the Healthcare Services team of the company’s US medical group, serving the group’s largest customers.

“Nancy has done an extraordinary job with our medical strategic customers and has developed a particular expertise in working with the executive suite of large healthcare organizations,” Connett said in the release. “She has a deep understanding of the changing dynamics of our customers, and as the trend toward consolidation accelerates across the markets we serve, Nancy’s insights and leadership capabilities will benefit the team, our customers and our business.”