In this interview, we delve into the groundbreaking work of CMR Surgical and its mission to revolutionize the field of surgery with Versius®, a next-generation surgical robot. We speak with Patricia Chesnais, the General Manager for the France & Benelux region, as she shares insights into CMR's innovative approach, their expansion into Paris Region, and the unique qualities of the local HealthTech ecosystem. Discover how CMR Surgical is transforming the surgical landscape, one robotic innovation at a time, in the dynamic, innovative, and smart environment of Paris Region.
 

Can you tell us about CMR Surgical and what is your role in the company?

CMR Surgical (CMR) is a global medical devices company dedicated to transforming surgery with Versius®, a next-generation surgical robot. Headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, CMR is committed to working with surgeons, surgical teams, and hospital partners, to provide an optimal tool to make robotic minimal-access surgery universally accessible and affordable. And I am the General Manager for the France & Benelux region.

How is CMR Surgical revolutionary for surgery?

Versius is the only small and modular surgical robotic system on the market which makes it easy to adopt for surgeons and hospitals. By being small and modular, it can fit into virtually any operating room, enabling a wider range of hospitals to start a robotics program. The modularity of Versius gives surgeons ease and flexibility to make the system ideal to perform a versatile range of cases and integrate into existing workflows.

Why did CMR Surgical choose to expand to Paris Region?

CMR set their French headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt. We wanted to be in Paris Region to benefit from its modern real estate offer as well as its central transportation network for French and European customers and the CMR teams from Cambridge.

Do you currently collaborate with hospitals or other partners for your development in Paris Region?

Indeed, one of our historical customers is Centre Hospitalier d’Argenteuil. We also collaborate with Institut Curie and are currently talking with several hospitals and clinics from Paris Region. We also work closely with RésaH, a major purchasing group, for instance. We are also a sponsor of the Académie Nationale de Chirurgie, partnering on how to implement more comprehensive surgical robotic training for young surgeons.

What would you say is unique about the Paris Region HealthTech ecosystem?

It is very much interconnected and although it is a rather big and complex ecosystem due to the range of activities and specialties, it is a “small world”. I would say that it is an ambitious ecosystem in an ambitious territory dedicated to advancing science and healthcare tackling challenges of all sorts.

How has Choose Paris Region provided support to address the challenges and opportunities encountered during the setup of operations in the Region? Can you provide examples of how their assistance was helpful?

I am very thankful to the teams from Choose Paris Region for helping me look for offices to implement the CMR France headquarters. They listened to my needs, some of which were technical as we have also created our maintenance and repair center and our showroom. They also shared their network of experts for me to comply with all administrative matters. The team is solution-oriented, and it was a relief to have such a partner helping me.

Last but not least, can you describe Paris Region in 3 words?

Dynamic, innovative, and smart.