BUSINESS DRIVERS

Ray Elliott plans to retire from his position as president and CEO of orthopedics manufacturer Zimmer Holdings Inc. (Warsaw, IN), the company announced in November. Elliott, who has served in his current positions since the company's inception as a public company in 2001, will remain as chairman for at least one year. Zimmer has hired an executive recruiting firm to assist with the search for a successor that will include both internal and external candidates.

NeoGuide Systems Inc. (Los Gatos, CA) has named Austin Noll as its new president and CEO. Amir Belson, MD, company founder and the inventor of the company's core technology, will remain full-time with NeoGuide as a board member and the chief technology officer. Noll takes the helm of NeoGuide as it prepares for commercialization of its flagship product, the NeoGuide endoscopy system. Prior to joining NeoGuide, Noll held numerous leadership positions at Medtronic over a 13-year period. Most recently he was senior vice president of marketing and business development for Medtronic Neurologic Technologies. Noll's appointment followed shortly after NeoGuide's hiring of Ian Felix as vice president of operations.

Siemens Medical Solutions (Malvern, PA) has announced the creation of its new image and knowledge management division. The new division will be led by Ajit Singh, PhD, who is transferring from his role as president of the Siemens oncology care systems division.