Smith & Nephew plc Appoints Joseph DeVivo President of Orthopaedic Reconstruction

MEMPHIS, Tenn., June 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smith & Nephew plc announced today the appointment of Joseph DeVivo as President of its Orthopaedic Reconstruction division, effective June 18. He will be based at the Orthopaedic Reconstruction headquarters in Memphis.

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DeVivo, 40, joins Smith & Nephew with 18 years of marketing, development, sales, operations and executive leadership experience. Most recently he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of RITA Medical Systems, Inc., a pioneer of radiofrequency ablation technology, which was acquired by AngioDynamics in 2006. Previously, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of medical robotics company Computer Motion, Inc., helping to turn the company's performance around ahead of its merger with Intuitive Surgery, Inc in 2003. From 1993 to 2002, DeVivo was at United States Surgical (USS), a division of Tyco Healthcare, where he held a wide variety of roles, including Vice President and General Manager of the USS/DG Sutures division, VP of global marketing, VP of global R&D and Director of Product Development. He has a B.S. in Marketing and Management from the University of Richmond, Richmond, Va.

"Joe has tremendous experience in the medical technology industry, and his proven track record in managing fast-growing and innovative businesses is an excellent fit for Smith & Nephew," said David Illingworth, Chief Operating Officer of Smith & Nephew. "Joe joins Smith & Nephew's Orthopaedics Reconstruction business at an important stage in its development, following the recently completed acquisition of Plus Orthopedic which has further strengthened our highly competitive product portfolio and extended our global reach."

About us

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business, specializing in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Orthopaedic Trauma and Clinical Therapies, Endoscopy and Advanced Wound Management products. Smith & Nephew is a global leader in arthroscopy and advanced wound management and is one of the leading global orthopaedics companies.

Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives. The Company prides itself on the strength of its relationships with its surgeons and professional healthcare customers, with whom its name is synonymous with high standards of performance, innovation and trust. The Company has 8,800 employees and operates in 31 countries around the world generating annual sales approaching $2.8 billion.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins discussed under "Outlook" are forward-looking statements as are discussions of our product pipeline. These statements, as well as the phrases "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions, are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors (including, but not limited to, the outcome of litigation, claims and regulatory approvals) that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Smith & Nephew, or industry results, to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward- looking statements. Please refer to the documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith & Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20F, for a discussion of certain of these factors.

All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Smith & Nephew as of the date hereof. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew or any person acting on behalf of Smith & Nephew are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Smith & Nephew's expectation with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

CONTACT: Analysts and Investors: Liz Hewitt, Group Director CorporateAffairs of Smith & Nephew plc, +44 (0) 20 7401 7646; or Media, Victor Rochaof Smith & Nephew Orthopaedic Reconstruction, +1-901-699-6771

Web site: http://www.smith-nephew.com//