Recently, Incisal Edge magazine—a popular newspaper about the dental industry and business—announced its annual ranking of "The 32 Most Influential People in Dentistry." This year's list includes dental practitioners, entrepreneurs, mentors, educators, and businessmen from the world's top facilities.
So, let's explore the most remarkable personalities in dentistry!
1. Guillimane Danielot
CEO of Switzerland-based Straumann Group – one of the fastest-growing dental companies specializing in implantology.
Guillimane Danielot became CEO just a few years ago—in 2020—after a long 12 years of hard work in Straumann. In the first year of his tenure, the company's revenue increased by 15%. Moreover, Guillimane conducted a few significant acquisitions: under his management, Straumann purchased about 36% of a stake in CareStack—a provider of cloud-based management software—and increased its ownership of Promaton—developers of dental AI—up to 70%.
This strategy guarantees the company sustainable technological growth supported by cutting-edge tools, providing extensive business development in the dental market.
2. Joseph Hogan
Mr. Hogan – is a president and CEO of Align Technology since 2015 – one of the most recognized brands in the dental industry.
Align Technologies is developing clean aligners—fully transparent tools that help patients correct bites and make their smiles beautiful. This company is an example of how technologically advanced production can change the industry and turn its own brand into a household name like Xerox and Google did. Under Mr. Hogan's management, in 2023, Align Technologies earned about $2 billion in revenue, had 6 million patients, and now has a market capitalization of more than $26 billion.
3. Rena D'Souza
Dr. D'Souza is the director of the National Institute of Dental Craniofacial Research, the largest research institution in the dental field. She also managed 'Oral Health in America' in 2021 – the largest local healthcare data-driven study in the dental field since 2000.
This report significantly extended our understanding of oral wellness and highlighted the main challenges of American dentistry. These results helped to form a basis for the current NIDCR five-year strategy (2021-2026), which aims to increase the quality and accessibility of dental services in the US.
NIDCR conducts various research, helping to improve the industry with new discoveries and technologies. This organization also provides 63% of annual funding to dental schools by NIH.
4. Doug Brown
Mr. Brown was first included in Incisal Edge's annual top list. He is a co-founder and managing partner of Dental Innovation Alliance - a huge investment company specializing in dentistry and related fields.
Briefly, this firm helps find people with money and acquaints them with prospective entrepreneurs, scientists, and healthcare facilities that require funding.
Mr. Brwon has extensive experience in managing dental support organizations. He served as CEO and Vice Chairman of Affordable Care LLC – a leading American retail healthcare company focused on dental solutions. Also, many years ago, he organized a few dental facilities into a research group that resulted in the formation of the Association of Dental Support Organizations – associations that offer marketing support for dentists and clinics.
5. Stanley Bergman
Mr. Bergman is a rare beast among CEOs, as was Jack Welch for General Electrics. Since 1989, Stenly Bergman has led Henry Shein, one of the most successful dental products and services providers (included in the Fortune 500 list and a member of the S&P 500 index).
Over the last 35 years of his leadership, the company has grown from a small-scale dental facility to a healthcare leviathan with $12 billion in annual revenue.
Recently, Mr. Bergman and his business met a serious challenge—in 2023, hackers attacked the company's website and databases, stealing some clients' personal data. Henry Sheins' shares collapsed for a moment, but they quickly recovered due to competent management and proper communication with the affected customers.
