We are thrilled to introduce you to Stuart Thomas, Vice President, Recipient Services for the Americas region serving the U.S. and Canada. Stuart has been at Cochlear for over 20 years in Europe and brings a wealth of experience helping recipients to hear and be heard. He is passionate about meeting recipients, hearing their stories, and making their experiences with Cochlear as impactful and seamless as possible. Read on for an informal interview with Stuart where he shares more about his background, his passion for helping people hear, and the stories of recipients he’s met along the way.
How did your professional journey lead you to where you are today?
‘In deciding my career path prior to college, I knew I wanted to go into healthcare to help people. I looked at medicine and health related fields, and that’s how I found my passion today, in hearing health.
I completed a 4-year degree to qualify as a Speech and Language Therapist in the United Kingdom at University College London. During this degree, I loved the audiology and audiological science aspects so much, I stayed at University College London to complete a Master’s in Audiological Science.
After college, I took an Audiological post in central London co-running a cochlear implant department. This is where I got into the world of cochlear implants, which I found absolutely fascinating. I was heavily involved in the implantation and activation of patients of all ages, which was hugely rewarding, and I never tire of hearing and seeing the life changing impact this technology has on recipients and their families.
After a few years in London, Cochlear approached me for a national Clinical Scientist position helping patients and recipients in other hospitals all over the United Kingdom and Ireland to maximize their hearing potential. In the proceeding years I became Director for Cochlear Implants, United Kingdom and Ireland while taking responsibility for managing our Distributorship in South Africa. I became Managing Director for the U.K., Ireland, and South Africa 8 years ago.’
What’s your favorite part of working for Cochlear?
‘The old adage goes, that if you can find a career you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I am certainly fortunate to be in this position. Hearing and learning from our incredible recipients who make up our Cochlear family and their respective journeys is truly remarkable and exceptionally rewarding.
I am also blessed to work with many dedicated colleagues at Cochlear and our professional partners, who all wake up focused on helping more people to hear and be heard.’
What impact are you hoping to have on the recipient experience here in the US and Canada?
‘I am a firm believer in looking at the whole lifetime impact of our services and technology on our recipient experience. Receiving an implantable solution isn’t transactional or just a moment in time, but a lifelong relationship between Cochlear and those recipients who have placed their trust in us. My priority will be to ensure we listen to and act on the feedback we receive while working to improve our services and recipient engagement, paying specific attention to delivering quality and a world-class experience.’
Tell us about a recipient you’ve met who’s inspired you during your time with Cochlear.
‘Tough question! I have met hundreds of wonderful people each on their unique hearing journey. If I go back to the beginning, 20 years ago, we implanted a beautiful little girl in London. She was just a little baby, and she was profoundly deaf from meningitis. We had to move fast, and she was implanted unilaterally (in one ear), which today is unusual as most meningitis patients are implanted bilaterally (in both ears).’
‘Several years later having moved to Cochlear, I met her mom coincidentally in reception at the hospital. We remembered each other instantly given our connection and journey together. Mom reintroduced me to her beautiful daughter who crept from behind a pillar to say hi to me and told me with excitement that she was getting another cochlear implant in her other ear tomorrow. This really stuck with me. Her speech was excellent, and she was just so eloquent. This certainly brought a few tears to my eyes and has stayed with me ever since.’
What’s a fun fact about you?
‘I wouldn’t say it’s particularly fun, but I am a very outdoorsy person. I love running, boating, fishing and skiing. Now that my family is based in Colorado, having emigrated to Denver from the U.K.—it’s a great place to be. We’re looking forward to taking advantage of the outdoor lifestyle and I am interested to see if my son of 19 months grows up with a British or American accent.’
Want to learn more about the recipient champions who work each day helping our recipients to hear and be heard? Meet the Cochlear Recipient Solutions team who help recipients learn more about their devices and advance to new technology.
