Thirty years at Össur - What's Changed, by Richard Hirons
Richard Hirons, one of our academy directors for EMEA, and a founding member of Össur UK, celebrated his 30th anniversary with Össur on 16 October 2025. Naturally, Richard has seen many changes in the profession and within Össur throughout his tenure but is clear on what hasn’t changed. The needs of our users and our need to keep them at the heart of everything we do.
What was happening in Össur in 1995?
Össur was still a small Icelandic company at that time when my former colleague Toby Carlsson started a division of Össur in the UK. I joined him shortly after. We were responsible for all the training and education needs of our global distributors, as well as distributing our own product line locally in the UK. At that time, Össur was mainly a liner company. Our training roles took us all over the world and we worked closely with the founder, Össur Kristinsson, on a number of projects including ICEX, which later became our Direct Socket system.
Össur has grown from around 100 employees at that time to over 4,000 now, mostly through acquisitions over the years. But the ethos remains the same. True innovation that meets real user needs and supports customers to deliver effective clinical service.
Ollie’s dog Leica, plus Richard Hirons
And in 2025, what’s changed?
I’ve had different roles at Össur across the years, but whether I’m creating clinical educational content, delivering training, or presenting a webinar, I’m a prosthetist through and through. We all grow and experience change, including Össur, which continues to change for the better. There is continual, significant investment in research and development, which drives the technology we use and shapes our service delivery. But I still firmly believe that the needs of our users and our customers remain the same, though their demands are higher. Our prosthesis users will always need comfortable sockets, mobility, and independence.
It’s an impressive tenure. What are your highlights?
I’ve always had a passion for socket fitting. We make liners, but it’s our customers who make sockets. We need to view the whole picture and the impact it has on end-users. And every day we get to work with some of the cleverest, brightest people, who have a passion for innovation, who approach things differently, and who aren’t afraid to take risks and act with courage. And our company values have meaning and always have. Honesty, it’s a flat structure with an open-door policy. Frugality, we make every action count. And Courage, we all have a passion for what we do, and that creates an energising working environment.
But if I’m to pick out a moment in time, the London 2012 Paralympics was a highlight for me. We were so lucky to work alongside the athletes and to promote their achievements and hard work, rather than promoting ourselves. But more importantly, it was a spotlight for our profession and all of those we represent, not only the athletes. That period helped normalise the views and needs of everyone who wears a prosthesis. It was a special time.
So, what’s next?
I count myself as very fortunate to have worked with so many amazing people. People who ‘get it’ and love the work we all do. Between us, we balance technical knowledge and know-how with passion and empathy for all of those involved in amputee rehabilitation. And that’s what I want to continue to focus on, through continual improvements. We recently launched AeroFit, our 3D printed breathable liner and ventilated socket. It’s a marvel, an engineering tour-de-force, and a concept that’s been rigorously investigated. It’s a solution created and then validated, and a genuine asset for prosthesis users. That I’m part of an organisation that has the vision and courage to deliver ground-breaking concepts like this is something I’m truly proud to be a part of no matter how small.