Appelo's experience is in supply chain management, and he has worked with private equity firms in medical technology for the past year. Prior to that, he served in a number of roles managing the supply chain at Johnson & Johnson across the company's pharmaceutical, consumer health, and medical device segments. He also held senior-level positions at Xerox.

Appelo is succeeding Sophie Bechu as COO and will be reporting to Philips CEO Frans van Houten. Bechu will step down from her role in October 2022 and will work on project-based initiatives at Philips until her retirement in January 2023.