After deciding this week that its CEO needs to be based in Eagan, Minn., and with chief executive Chris von Jako unwilling to relocate his family, Dynatronics (NSDQ:DYNT) promoted COO Brian Baker to the corner office, effective August 28.
“After thoughtful consideration, the board of directors determined that the company’s CEO needs to be based in our Eagan, Minnesota facility,” chairwoman Erin Enright said in prepared remarks. “Dr. von Jako, who resides in the Boston area, determined that he and his family were not in a position to relocate at this time and he made the decision to pursue other opportunities. On behalf of the board of directors, I thank Dr. von Jako for his dedicated service and meaningful contributions to the company.”
Baker joined Cottonwood Heights, Utah-based Dynatronics in early 2018, after the departure of co-founder, chairman & CEO Kelvyn Cullimore. The company brought former former NinePoint Medical CEO von Jako on in July of that year; just this past June it lifted Baker into the COO role.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Brian for many years and have witnessed firsthand his ability to effectively lead an organization and drive meaningful change,” Enright said. “He brings decades of proven leadership experience, most recently in key operational roles at Dynatronics. His promotion to CEO is a natural progression in his leadership of the company.”
“I am honored and grateful to the board of directors for the opportunity to lead the organization as the chief executive based in our Eagan facility,” Baker added. “Dynatronics is well regarded in the markets we serve for providing trusted, high-quality restorative products. I see significant opportunity to expand the reach and depth of our customer relationships and to accelerate Dynatronics’ growth.”
Harmonic Bionics names ex-Mazor chief Prentice as CEO
Harmonic Bionics said this week that it named former MZOR chief executive Christopher Prentice to succeed co-founder Youngmok Yun as CEO.
“As Harmonic Bionics prepares for the commercialization of robotic upper extremity rehabilitation system, we sought a leader who had direct experience in helping early stage robotic companies achieve their goals,” said Yun, who stayed on as CTO/COO. “Chris is an outstanding choice to lead the company into the market.”
“Harmonic Bionics has a brilliant product development team and an innovative system that can advance the field of neurorehabilitation. Based on my experience and knowledge of the commercialization of robotic systems, gained at both Intuitive and Mazor, I am very excited about the opportunity at Harmonic Bionics and I am honored to join the team,” Prentice added.
In addition to time as CCO and CEO at Mazor Robotics, Prentice was VP of commercial integration at Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) and logged time at Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ).
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Echosens nabs ex-AxoGen CCO Gingrich for North America CEO
Echosens said this week that it nabbed former AxoGen Inc. (NSDQ:AXGN) chief commercial officer Jon Gingrich as CEO of Echosens North America out of its Waltham, Mass., regional headquarters.
Apart from his stint at Axogen, Gingrich worked at Hologic (NSDQ:HOLX) and Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX), Echosens said.
“Jon exemplifies the type of business leadership that will grow our presence in the U.S., increase domestic and international adoption of FibroScan technology and drive the overall success of our global enterprise. An accomplished executive with a diverse skillset for leading and scaling business operations, Jon has demonstrated significant success in transforming businesses to sustainable record level growth. He will play a major role in accelerating our position throughout the U.S. healthcare system, and together with Dominique Legros, our newly appointed CEO at the Echosens Group in Paris, we will positively impact our growth worldwide,” chairman & co-founder Laurent Sandrin said in prepared remarks.
“With the looming worldwide epidemic of liver disease, FibroScan products and services take on even greater importance in supporting physicians in their assessment and management of patients with liver diseases. My commitment is to broaden the utilization of these technology solutions, serve an even greater number of providers and payers in both public and private sectors throughout the U.S. healthcare system and make a critical difference in the lives of individuals who face chronic liver disease. Now more than ever, Echosens is positioned for extraordinary growth as it meets these challenges head-on,” Gingrich added.
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Fresenius names Giza to succeed Brosnan as CFO
Fresenius (NYSE:FMS) this week appointed Helen Giza to replace Mike Brosnan as CEO effective Nov. 1.
Giza was chief integration & divestiture officer at pharma firm Takeda, where she was previously CFO for its U.S. business.
“We look forward to welcoming Helen to our team. Along with her international financial expertise, Helen brings great experience in the area of acquisitions and successful integration within the healthcare sector,” chairman & CEO Rice Powell said in prepared remarks.
“I am excited to be joining Fresenius Medical Care, the market leader in dialysis. This new role is a wonderful opportunity to be part of Fresenius Medical Care’s continued success,” Giza added.
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Penumbra adds president to CFO Kosaraju’s title
Penumbra (NYSE:PEN) yesterday added the title of president to CFO Sri Kosaraju’s job description.
“This promotion formalizes the additional responsibilities that Sri has taken on over the recent past and allows us greater capacity to focus on our growing opportunities here at Penumbra. I am proud of Sri and our many other growing leaders who fully embrace Penumbra’s culture and mission of being one of the most innovative companies in healthcare,” chairman & CEO Adam Elsesser said in prepared remarks. “I am extremely excited and committed to leading Penumbra for many years ahead as we embark on the next chapter.”
“I’m more enthusiastic than ever before about the future of Penumbra. We are building a world-class organization and an environment that allows us to go after even more significant challenges. I am honored to be part of this team and look forward to working more closely with Adam as the company continues to grow and innovate,” Kosaraju added.
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