Smith began his 26-year career with E.Merck in 1979 as a Research Biochemist working on the development of various novel analytical biochemical tools. After three years, he moved into Marketing and was named Product Manager for HPLC products as well as some biochemical reagents.
Smith joined Ohmeda as a Product Manager in 1985 and spent 15 years working in positions of increasing responsibility in development, marketing and service. During this time his primary focus was on patient monitoring and anesthesia systems. From 1997 to 1999, Smith served as Vice President and General Manager of the Configured Patient Monitoring and Supplies business unit for Datex-Ohmeda. In this role he was primarily responsible for the integration of the Ohmeda and Datex business units.
Smith earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Newcastle University – United Kingdom.