About us

Smith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology business focused on the repair, regeneration and replacement of soft and hard tissue.

Our purpose

Physical health is never just about our body. It’s our mind, feelings and ambitions. When something holds it back, it’s our whole life on hold.

We’re here to change that, to use technology to take the limits off living, and help other medical professionals do the same.

So that farmworkers, rugby players, grandmas and their grandkids stare down fear, see that anything’s possible, then go on stronger. Inspired by a simple promise. Two words that bring together all we do.

Life Unlimited.

Our history

We have a history dating back over 160 years.

1800s

1856

Thomas James Smith opened a chemist shop in Hull, UK and develops a new method for refining cod liver oil.

1896

Horatio Smith entered a partnership with his uncle forming TJ Smith & Nephew.

1900 - 1910

1906

Anticipating the decline of his cod liver oil business, H N Smith buys a bandage cutting and rolling machine, turning the focus of the business to the sale of wound dressings and bandages.

H N Smith travels to North America and secures contracts to supply Canadian hospitals with bandages.

1907

Smith & Nephew becomes a limited company.

1910s - 1930s

1914

Days after the declaration of World War 1 in 1914, Horatio Nelson Smith (the nephew of the company founder T. J Smith) met with an envoy of the French President in London. The company was awarded a contract to supply £350,000 of surgical and field dressings, to be delivered in five months.

During WW1, staff grew from 50 to 1,200.

1921

The first independent overseas branch of Smith & Nephew opens in Canada.

1928

We produced our experimental bandage Elastoplast^TM

1937

We were listed on the London Stock Exchange.

We developed a special low-temperature plaster, used by the Everest climbers on the 1953 expedition. It enabled them to send back camera films, sealed and airtight!

1940s - 1950s

Post war expansion

1950s

New companies are formed in Australia (1950) and New Zealand (1953).

1951

Smith & Nephew acquires Herts Pharmaceuticals, introducing pharmaceutical and skincare products to the Group, as well as laboratory and technical resources, enabling the company to forge ahead with its programmes of product research and development.

1960s - 1980s

1986

We made two key acquisitions:

Richards Medical in Memphis, USA, specialists in orthopaedic products.
DYONICS, an arthroscopy specialist based in Andover, USA.

1990s - 2000s

1995

We acquired Acufex Microsurgical Inc., making us a market leader in arthroscopic surgical devices.

We were listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

2001

We became a constituent member of the UK FTSE 100 Index.

We introduced OXINIUM^◊, a new material that improves performance and increases the service life of total joint replacement systems.

2010s - present

2011

PICO^◊ the first pocket-sized, single-use system, revolutionizes the negative pressure wound therapy market.

2013

JOURNEY II^◊ BCS sets a new standard in knee implant performance, designed to empower patients.

2014

Acquired Arthrocare Corp. to expand our sports medicine portfolio.

2015

Acquired Blue Belt Technologies, securing a leading position in orthopaedic robotics-assisted surgery.

2019

Expanding in technologies of the future, we acquired: Osiris Therapeutics, Ceterix Orthopaedics, Leaf Patient Monitoring System and Brainlab Orthopaedic Joint Reconstruction Business.

2020

Launched Real Intelligence and CORI^◊ Surgical System, our next-generation handheld robotics platform.

2021

Acquired the orthopaedic extremity business from Integra, strengthening our position in a high-growth segment.

Today

We have over 18,000 employees worldwide and we operate in over 100 countries.

What we do

We serve our customers through three global franchises.

Where we operate

We have a presence in over 100 countries worldwide

Africa

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Europe

Middle East

North America

Our policies

Governance

Remuneration Policy

The Directors’ Remuneration Policy was approved by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting held on 26 April 2023 and all financial amounts are as at that date.

In designing the policy, the Remuneration Committee followed a robust process which included discussions on the content of the policy at four committee meetings. The Committee considered input from management and our independent advisors, and sought the views of the Company’s major shareholders and other stakeholders, including employees.

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Strategy

Smith+Nephew Tax Strategy

Our tax strategy is aligned with the overall Group strategy and we seek to manage tax cost and risk accordingly in line with our Code of Conduct and values taking into account our external reputation and view of stakeholders.

Our approach is to be compliant with the tax laws in the countries in which we operate and our transfer pricing policy is designed to ensure that country profits (and associated tax thereon) align with economic value creation.