Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Strategic Role of Spain: Spain is a dynamic and growing MedTech market. Boston Scientific aims to maintain leadership and become the #1 MedTech company in Spain.
- Partner of Choice: Boston Scientific aims to be a trusted partner combining in-person expertise with digital services and remote support to deliver tailored pre- and post-sales solutions that enhance customer collaboration and improve patient outcomes.
- Growing Portfolio: Boston Scientific has grown its portfolio through strategic acquisitions that will bring new opportunities.
- Digital Transformation: Boston Scientific has integrated digital health tools to optimize therapies and devices and holds a Center of Excellence for Digital Health in Spain.
- Medical Education & Talent: Boston Scientific's Institute for Advancing Science (IAS) in Madrid is one of the busiest education and training hubs in Europe for Boston Scientific.
- Company Culture & Employee Value: Boston Scientific has a strong culture of employee engagement, promoting easy access to leadership, internal mobility, cross-functional collaboration, diversity, flexibility, and a strong work-life balance.
EF: What makes Spain the place to be today, and how is Boston Scientific using the momentum to strengthen its position in the country’s evolving landscape?
SD: Spain is a dynamic and healthy market. Most of the sectors we operate in are growing, which is encouraging. Some specific markets have contracted slightly compared to last year, but overall, the environment remains strong.
Boston Scientific operates across six key business units: Interventional Cardiology, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Peripheral Intervention, Urology, Endoscopy, and Neuromodulation, all focused on advancing minimally invasive solutions that reduce hospital stays, speed recovery, and improve patient outcomes. This is where we see tremendous momentum, as healthcare systems look for ways to deliver high-quality care more efficiently.
Our focus is on maintaining leadership in our key markets while pushing toward our goal of becoming the number one MedTech company in Spain. We are doing this by maintaining our established business, expanding through our innovation portfolio, and building on recent acquisitions.
Our acquisitions strengthen and expand our portfolio, reinforcing our DNA of innovation and our commitment to being an innovative company. Each acquisition brings complementary strengths and new opportunities to deepen market presence and move closer to our goal of market leadership in Spain.
EF: How are you tackling the challenge of access to innovation in Spain, and how are you partnering with the ecosystem to ensure patients benefit?
SD: We have built a strong new mindset within the company. Boston Scientific has always been known for innovation, and our customers, competitors, and teams all recognize that. But about five years ago, we decided to take it further, moving beyond product innovation to create a full portfolio of services and become the partner of choice for our customers.
This evolution is powered by our products and digital solutions, expanding our remote services and training capabilities. A great example is our Institute for Advancing Science (IAS) in Madrid — a state-of-the-art training facility where healthcare professionals receive hands-on education on the latest devices and therapies. IAS is complemented by EDUCARE, our digital learning platform that offers continuous, on-demand clinical education to thousands of professionals across EMEA. Together, they ensure that our innovation reaches the people who use it every day, enhancing both skills and patient care.
We also reinforced key functions such as public affairs, hospital sales, and division-specific solutions. All these efforts strengthen our ability to support customers and internal teams.
Today, our service offering goes well beyond devices. It includes workflow analysis to boost hospital efficiency, resource optimization, consultancy, and even financial services, all designed to deliver value to our customers. Many companies claim to provide full-service solutions, but what sets us apart is the way we pair cutting-edge innovation with strong, practical services. And we always approach it from the customer’s perspective, which is central to everything we do.
Equally important is the impact on patient outcomes. Our ultimate goal is to improve lives, and we are proud to say we support healthcare professionals to save lives every day. When we talk about services, it is not just a label; it means truly supporting customers before and after sales so they can do their jobs better, while ensuring patients receive the best possible therapies and devices. For us, it goes far beyond business.
EF: How is Boston Scientific actively integrating digital health tools into its pipeline and portfolio? And more broadly, how is this digital transformation taking shape across the healthcare ecosystem?
SD: At Boston Scientific, we are integrating digital health and artificial intelligence across our portfolio to deliver smarter, more connected solutions. Our innovation now connects advanced devices with digital intelligence, creating integrated solutions that help clinicians make faster, data-driven decisions and enhance patient care. For example, we’ve introduced AI-enabled diagnostic tools and digital monitoring platforms that optimize therapy management, streamline workflows, and enhance clinical efficiency. These digital solutions make it easier for healthcare professionals to access accurate, real-time insights, helping them achieve better outcomes for patients.
This transformation is not something we are planning for the future; it is already happening today.
Across Spain, there is strong momentum for digital health. National strategies are promoting investment in innovation to boost efficiency and interoperability across the system. However, the decentralized structure of healthcare means that adoption can vary across regions. We see encouraging examples of progress through innovative procurement models, data-driven healthcare initiatives, and the integration of AI-powered solutions in hospital settings.
Of course, there are still challenges. Fragmented procurement processes, reimbursement variability, and capacity constraints in public hospitals can slow the pace of adoption. That’s why our approach is to work proactively with regional and national stakeholders, asking, “What do you need, and how can we help?” so we can ensure that innovation translates into real value.
EF: Sustainability is increasingly becoming a differentiator in the MedTech industry. How is Boston Scientific embedding sustainability into its business strategy and operations in Spain?
SD: Boston Scientific’s commitment to sustainability is a core pillar of our long-term growth strategy. We have achieved 100% renewable electricity at all our manufacturing and distribution sites globally, marking a major milestone in our journey toward sustainability. In 2024, we also signed our first Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) in Spain, further strengthening our contribution to EMEA’s clean energy transition.
These efforts form part of our broader ESG vision, which includes advancing toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Sustainability is embedded in our leadership accountability through performance-linked incentives, ensuring that environmental responsibility remains at the heart of how we grow and operate.
EF: Spain’s market has value not only because of its R&D infrastructure but also because of its talent. How is Boston Scientific continuing to capitalize on that opportunity?
SD: Boston Scientific Spain has amazing talent, and it’s one of our greatest assets. What’s remarkable is how this talent connects directly with our purpose of advancing science for life. We see it every day through the passion and expertise of our teams, who bring innovation to patients and physicians across EMEA.
Madrid has become a key location for Boston Scientific: a home to one of our most dynamic teams and a hub for collaboration and learning. Our Institute for Advancing Science (IAS) is the busiest education center in EMEA, welcoming healthcare professionals from across the region. Even if its main focus is on medical education, it also reflects our commitment to continuous learning and knowledge sharing with our teams. Madrid is a city that embodies our open, entrepreneurial, and connected mindset.
For us, it is always good to have this exchange with our Spanish colleagues and the EMEA team, bringing in new both young professionals and experienced leaders from other markets to refresh ideas and strengthen our collective expertise.
EF: What makes Boston Scientific so attractive to the new generations of talent? How are you promoting a culture that really encourages people to stay?
SD: For me, and I believe for many colleagues in Madrid and across Boston Scientific, one defining characteristic of the company is how much we care for our employees. Having worked for other companies before, I can honestly say there is no comparison to the way Boston Scientific looks after its people.
Accessibility here is remarkable. You can easily speak with anyone, at any level. People feel recognized in their roles, and as the company grows, there are always opportunities, whether through promotion, horizontal moves, or participation in international projects, to learn, gain new perspectives, and take on fresh challenges. This creates a real teamwork mindset, based on respect and diversity, which we see as essential.
The atmosphere itself makes you more confident. We spend many hours at work, and what makes it worthwhile is the people. Whether it is a quick chat over coffee or a three-minute discussion on advice, that openness is part of our culture. The office is one of the nicest in the region, designed to facilitate collaboration and interactions, but it is really the environment and the colleagues that make the difference.
Flexibility and balance between professional and personal life are also key. This is why so many young people want to join Boston Scientific and why our turnover remains low.
We remain humble, knowing there is always room to improve. But if you create an environment where people feel cared for and empowered to grow, from entry-level to seasoned professionals, you build a culture that truly sustains itself.
EF: Looking back at your time heading Boston Scientific in Spain, what would you say have been some of your proudest moments? What are some of the lessons you have learned?
SD: Overall, this role has been a huge opportunity for me. Having a 360-degree view of the company has allowed me to understand the businesses, the functions, and how we can work better as one team in Spain. Personally, it has been the biggest challenge of my career, but also the most rewarding.
I am proud that we are seen as an attractive place to work, with more and more people wanting to come to Madrid. We believe that growth happens when our people grow, and that is exactly what we are focused on.
We have shifted our mindset to operate as one company. In the past, we were more vertical, structured by business units. Today, we promote more interaction and mobility between divisions, encouraging people to take on new opportunities across the organization. As leaders, we constantly review what works and what can be improved, especially in our internal processes. Our priority is strategic projects that bring the whole country team together, so we can truly work as one.
