HeartFlow said today that it named former Beaver-Visitec prez & CEO Dana Mead, Jr., as its new president and CEO, replacing current prez & CEO Dr. John Stevens, who will continue to serve on the board as chair.
Prior to joining Beaver-Visitec, Mead served as a strategic advisor and partner in Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers life science practice, and acted as prez of Guidant.
He has also held positions with the medical device groups of Allergan (NYSE: AGN) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Redwood City, Calif.-based HeartFlow said.
“I am excited to join the HeartFlow team and have the opportunity to lead the company through its next stage of growth and development. The HeartFlow technology is truly transformative and stands to change how coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, is diagnosed and treated. HeartFlow’s commitment to patient-centered innovation will enable the company to build upon its success and I look forward to working with the team to ensure physicians and patients are able to benefit from this state-of-the-art solution,” Mead said in a prepared statement.
“Dana has spent his career helping grow companies with world-class innovations across the healthcare space and we are thrilled to have someone of Dana’s caliber lead HeartFlow into its next stage of growth. The HeartFlow mission is to become the standard of care for diagnosing patients with suspected coronary artery disease and I look forward to working closely with Dana to make this a reality,” Stevens said in prepared remarks.
“HeartFlow has made outstanding progress under John’s leadership due to his dedication to the company and the physicians and patients served by HeartFlow. We are looking forward to working with Dana as the company takes an important next step towards becoming the standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease,” former board chair William Weldon said in a press release.
Feport: Ex-FDA chief Gottlieb returns to VC, joins NEA
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who left the position in March, has rejoined venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates, where he formerly worked, as a full-time investing partner, according to an Axios report.
Gottlieb served as a venture partner with NEA before being appointed to head the federal watchdog by President Trump, spending a total of 10 years with the VC firm, according to the report.
His new position is “more substantive” according to Axios, and will allow Gottlieb to lead investments in life sciences startups and to take board seats.
Though he had formerly worked as a deputy commissioner for the FDA’s medical and scientific affairs, Gottlieb commented that the new position introduced him to new areas including food innovation, like synthetically engineered ingredients and cultured meats, according to the report.
Gottlieb had already rejoined the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute, announced last month, and said he plans to continue to maintain that position as well.
Iridex taps Bruce as prez, CEO
Iridex (NSDQ:IRIX) said last week that it named David Bruce as its new president and chief executive officer, replacing William Moore, effective May 21.
Prior to joining Iridex, which he has served as a board member with since last April, Bruce has acted as CEO of Arstasis, EP MedSystems and interim CEO of Patient Safety Technologies, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company said.
Bruce has also served as GM for Siemens Medical Solution’s AcuNav catheter biz and COO for Catheter Robotics, Iridex said.
“We are pleased to appoint David Bruce to the role of president and CEO. David brings substantial experience leading successful commercial and market penetration strategies at several medical device companies, and he has been a member of Iridex’s board of directors for over a year. He is well prepared to expand worldwide sales and marketing execution for the Cyclo G6 glaucoma laser and probe system and to build on Iridex’s leading retina laser position in the global market. We look forward to David’s leadership driving the company to significant growth. We thank Will for his leadership and contributions over the past six years in Iridex’s development and launch of this novel glaucoma therapy, positioning the company for the exciting growth opportunities ahead,” Iridex lead independent director Dr. Ruediger Naumann-Etienne said in a prepared statement.
“I am excited to lead Iridex in capitalizing on our MicroPulse therapy for glaucoma patients. This proven technology, with over 120,000 procedures performed by hundreds of ophthalmologists worldwide and a rapidly-expanding body of clinical data that demonstrate its efficacy, low risk and cost advantages for reduction of intraocular pressures, deserves a much greater role treating the large glaucoma patient population worldwide. Our business model combines proprietary laser systems with disposable delivery probes creating a significant growth and recurring revenue opportunity through broader adoption in the ophthalmology community. Coupling this with Iridex’s leadership position in the retina laser market – with its own growth opportunities using MicroPulse technology – creates a platform for the creation of significant shareholder value. I am pleased to join the Iridex team to focus on growing the company’s revenue and achieving our value potential,” Bruce said in a prepared statement.
Obalon Therapeutics CEO Huang steps away
Obalon Therapeutics (NSDQ:OBLN) said last week that its prez & CEO Kelly Huang is resigning from their position.
Huang will continue to serve in a consultant role, the Carlsbad, Calif.-based company said. In connection with the resignation, the company added that current CFO William Plovanic has been promoted to president, and will retain his chief financial officer role.
Nevro adds board chair title to CEO Grossman
Nevro (NYSE:NVRO) said last week that it added the title of board chair to its current prez & CEO D. Keith Grossman.
The Redwood City, Calif.-based company said that Grossman will assume chairmanship effective May 20, replacing Michael DeMane who will now serve as lead director, according to an SEC filing.
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LifeScan names ex-Stryker exec Rizzolo as head of transformation
LifeScan said today it named former Stryker (NYSE:SYK) customer experience GM and VP Alisandra Rizzolo as its new head of transformation, effective immediately.
Prior to joining Stryker, Rizzolo held leadership positions at Xerox and Pitney Bowes, Malvern, Penn.-based LifeScan said.
“It is an exciting time for LifeScan as we transition to an independent company and pursue new opportunities on behalf of people with diabetes. Ali’s experience in building best-in-class infrastructures and advancing customer-focused capabilities will help ensure LifeScan remains a world leader in diabetes care while also setting us up for future growth and success,” prez & CEO Val Asbury said in a press release.
“I have close relatives and friends who have diabetes, so LifeScan’s mission speaks to me directly. This is a great opportunity for me to help shape the future of diabetes health and wellness in a meaningful way. The talent of the leaders and their focus to build a strong business that prioritizes patients is inspiring to me. I am looking forward to be a part of it,” Rizzolo said in a prepared statement.
