LONGMONT, Colo.--Sunrise Medical CEO Mike Hammes announced Tuesday that Hymie Pogir will join the company in the newly created position of senior vice president of marketing and program development. Tiago da Silva is also joining the company as senior vice president of sales. Both will report to Hammes.

Carey Winkel, who has been president of Sunrise commercial operations for North America over the last three-and-a-half years, will move back to her previous role as senior vice president of strategic planning, supporting Hammes with crucial strategic initiatives, according to a company release.

"On both sides of the Atlantic, and especially in North America, major changes are occurring in the DME industry," Hammes said in an internal communication. "Many of these external changes are quite significant and impactful (e.g. the continuing strong emergence of China as a major producer of DME products, the huge change process the public health care system in America is going [through], etc.).

"Because of the strategic and operational actions we have taken over the last three to five years," Hammes continued, "we believe that Sunrise today is the best-positioned company in the global DME industry, but if we are to maintain and build upon the successes that we have had and are continuing to have then we must be prepared to continue to make appropriate changes in a timely manner and to strengthen our ability to continue to be the leaders in our industry."