Bluegrass Vascular taps ex-ArthoCare R&D chief Niederauer for CEO | Personnel Moves

September 3, 2014 By Brad Perriello

Bluegrass Vascular Technologies said it named Gabriele Niederauer its new president & CEO, hard on the heels of a Series A funding round that brought in $4.5 million for its Surfacer central venous catheter.

Niederauer, the former vice president of R&D for ArthroCare‘s
ENT-Sinus division (now a part of Smith & Nephew (FTSE:SN, NYSE:SNN)), also put in time at ENTrigue Surgical, C2M Medical and OsteoBiologics, according to a press release.

"BVT has developed a critical mission to address shortcomings in the venous access market. I am honored to join the team and build upon that mission to bring superior, life-saving technologies to the market," Niederauer said in prepared remarks. "I look forward to working with the team to commercialize the innovative Surfacer System."

Bluegrass Vascular raised a $4.5 million Series A round in July that it plans to spend in pursuit of CE Mark approval in the European Union for the Surfacer device, which is designed to restore central venous access in patients with occluded veins.

"Gabriele is a great addition to the team," said Paul Castella, senior managing partner of Targeted Technology Funds, which led the Series A round. "She has over 20 years of experience in the development and commercialization of medical devices and is a great fit to lead the company to commercialization in Europe and the US."

Former CEO Jim Clifton, a co-founder, is slated for the COO role, responsible for operations, project management and market strategy, according to the release.

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