Having been a National Territory Manager & Business Development Manager with Getz Healthcare for over 6 years, Tim Ashley came to the role following a long and successful career in the healthcare industry. 

“I’ve pretty much been in healthcare most of my career, but largely with big corporates. I was with Baxter Healthcare, CareFusion, Hospira. While they were a lot bigger, what's appealing about Getz Healthcare is, as it is smaller and because it's such a strict distribution type of company, we can largely control what we want to be involved in. We can go out looking for innovative, cutting-edge technologies.”

As National Account Manager for Getz Healthcare New Zealand’s Surgical Division, sales and education are the two big pillars that encompass Tim’s role. “I look after a number of products within the Getz Healthcare Surgical Division, the main one being the Belmont Rapid Infusion System. So, I look after the sales of those products, but education is also a big component. There's also a lot of setting up trials for products and setting up post-sales education. I work with procurement, nursing staff, anaesthetic technicians and anaesthetists. So, it's pretty much all encompassing.”

When it comes to technological innovation, Tim finds it valuable that Getz Healthcare has the edge. “Over my career I've sold a lot of ‘me-too products’, which isn't exciting. But, for example, the Belmont Rapid Infusion System is a standalone product. There's nothing that compares with it in terms of capabilities. The customers who use it love it, and won't use anything else,” shares Tim. “I think Gold Standard products really help the sales process. And it's good to see customers giving you the feedback: ‘Wow, I love this. I really don't want to use anything else.’”

Describing the Getz Healthcare culture as inclusive with a family vibe, Tim has found that his NZ team looks after each other at all times. “The team I work with is very willing, very capable. We look after each other. It's difficult in New Zealand because we're all in different corners. We don't have an office or a warehouse, but still we talk regularly.”

Having recently completed a nine-month leadership program, Tim is always on the lookout for ways to improve his professional development in his role at Getz Healthcare. “It was a brilliant program to be part of. It's certainly helped me whilst I was doing it. But since completing it, I believe it changed the way I look at how I go about doing things.” 

“Since COVID, you're dealing with people who just don't have any time. So, it's changing the way you go about things. You have to bring a lot of empathy. You have to be far more empathetic in all your dealings and to adapt your approach to be all about offering something that is going to help.”

“I think in medical, you're quite lucky because the demand for your products keeps going…but essentially, if you've got products that customers need, it does carry on.” Looking to the future, Tim comments, “We have Gold Standard products that are growing. And I anticipate more growth through into 2023.”

How would you describe Getz Healthcare in three words? “Teamwork. Innovative. And willing—as in willing to look at other ways of doing things, challenging the status quo.”