Acelity taps Jokinen as CFO, exec VP | Personnel Moves June 20, 2017

Acelity said last week it tapped Tracy Jokinen as its chief financial officer and executive vice president, taking over for interim CFO Todd Wyatt.

Jokinen was formerly a CFO of uniform and facility services provider G&K services, which was acquired by Cintas earlier this year. Prior to working at G&K, Jokinen spent more than 20 years at Valspar Corp, holding a number of different leadership roles.

The company said that interim CFO Wyatt will transition into a new leadership role as part of the senior management team.

“Tracy has a dynamic combination of skill and experience that is uniquely suited to the needs of Acelity and the next stage of growth for the company. She brings a strategic mindset and fresh perspective that will help accelerate our objectives, not only on behalf of Acelity, but also the many patients around the world that we serve,” prez & CEO R. Eckert said in a press release.

Avedro picks up former Entellus finance chief Griffin as CFO

Avedro said today it hired former Entellus Medical (NSDQ:ENTL) chief financial officer Thomas Griffin as its new CFO.

Griffin spent 10 years as CFO of Entellus Medical, handling the position during the company’s initial public offering, Avedro said. Prior to his work at Entellus, Griffin held various executive level positions at organizations including Digital Gene Technologies, Centerpulse Spine-Tech and CIMA Labs.

“Tom’s financial acumen combined with his significant experience in the medical technology industry for both private and publicly held companies will be a tremendous asset to Avedro and we are very pleased that he has decided to join us in this important executive role. We look forward to leveraging his proven expertise to lead Avedro’s finance functions for high growth and future financing options. Tom’s guidance will be indispensable as we continue to expand our ability to deliver innovative products that dramatically improve the lives of patients with keratoconus and develop new and innovative cross-linking applications that help reduce the need for eyeglasses and contact lenses,” CEO Reza Zadno said in a press release.

Unilife (NSDQ:UNIS) said this month it appointed current special projects senior advisor Dennis Myers as its new interim chief financial and accounting officers, effective June 9.

Pyers has operated as the company’s special projects senior advisor since July last year. Prior to that, Pyers has served in multiple roles, including serving as chief accounting officer on multiple occasions and as interim CFO from March 2014 to February 2015.

Before working with Unilife, Myers spent 25 years at KPMG LLP, serving as partner from 2002 to 2009.

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Mazor Robotics shuffles the deck

Mazor Robotics (NSDQ:MZOR) this week announced a number of leadership additions and new organizational steps as it looks to position itself for its next growth phase.

The Israel-based company said it formed an integrated product development group, combining its R&D and product groups. The new group will be headed by newly hired Oren Zarchin. Mazor said it established a new advanced technology group, with co-founder Eli Zehavi heading the division. The company also created a new operations & service VP position, hiring on Josua Belkar for the role. The changes are slated to take effect Aug. 1.

Mazor said it has also expanded the roles of the CEO and CFO, with CFO Sharon Levita overseeing finance and additional business teams and CEO Cristopher Prentice taking on a role as chief commercial officer. These changes went into effect immediately, the company said.

“In 2016, we announced and set in motion a plan to accelerate growth with the signing of strategic agreements and the launch of the transformative Mazor X platform. The new hires complement the capabilities of the existing team, positioning Mazor for additional growth opportunities as well as leading our more than 200 employees. I believe that our expanded leadership team maximizes Mazor’s near and long term potential,” CEO Hadomi said in a press release.

Medical device battery pioneer and long-time Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) engineer Paul Skarstad has passed away, according to a Star Tribune report.

During his time at the Fridley, Minn.-based medtech giant, Skarstad helped increase the amount of current drawable from batteries and developed the 1st power source for implantable defibrillators, according to the report.

Skarstad joined Medtronic in 1976, and retired from the company as a senior director of energy systems in 2006, where he oversaw power source R&D.

“He was a really important person at Medtronic. Paul was the first to prove that a lot of things could be done. … Paul was a scientist’s scientist. He set standards for scientific rigor that are still in place today,” Medtronic tech VP Darrel Untereker said, the Star Tribune reported.

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