Invuity (NSDQ:IVTY) said late last week that its president and chief executive officer Philip Sawyer has resigned and will be replaced by board member Scott Flora on an interim basis.

Flora has served as a member of the board since last November, and has held positions as prez, CEO and director of Omniguide. He has also held executive positions at Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN), including prez and GM of the orthopedics reconstruction division, GM of the trauma and clinical therapies division and senior VP of US & Europe.

“Phil is a truly visionary leader who over his eight years as president and CEO launched the company, led the initial public offering, introduced incredibly innovative new products and hired great talent. As the company has moved to its next phase, now is the perfect time to bring in a CEO who will execute on the company’s vision and move forward towards profitability while scaling the organization. On behalf of the board we appreciate the contributions that Phil has made to the company and wish him well in his future endeavors. Scott is uniquely qualified to lead Invuity in an interim capacity.  He brings executive leadership experience and domain expertise from his deep experience in the medical device industry.  Additionally, Scott has a familiarity with Invuity from his prior consulting role with the Company, and his recent appointment to the Board, that will enable him to seamlessly step into the interim President and CEO role,” board chair Gregory Lucier said in a prepared statement.

Board chair Lucier said that the company is currently searching for a permanent CEO.

“I am enthusiastic about deepening my relationship with Invuity. I look forward to building on Phil’s work and leading the organization during this interim period. We have terrific employees and customers that are excited about our technology,” Flora said in a press release.

 Endospan taps ex-Endologix exec Mayberry as CEO

Endovascular device developer Endospan said yesterday it tapped former Endologix exec Kevin Mayberry as its new chief executive officer, replacing Alon Shalev, who will stay on as a director.

Prior to his time with Endospan, Mayberry operated in various R&D and executive positions at Endologix after joining the company in 2004. Most recently, Mayberry acted as Asia-Pacific operations regional sales director, based in Singapore.

“This is a very exciting time to be joining Endospan. We have submitted for European approval of our Nexus Stent Graft System, the first off-the-shelf endovascular approach to treating aortic arch disease including aneurysms and dissections. While minimally invasive techniques are standard of care for treating descending aortic disease and heart disease, unfortunately the bridge between the two in the difficult-to-treat aortic arch anatomy is vastly underserved and remains a very invasive, high-mortality open surgery. More than 120,000 patients suffer thoracic aortic arch disease every year in the US and Europe, but only about 25% are diagnosed or treated. This global market opportunity already is greater than $1.3 billion in a segment with no off-the-shelf endovascular options. Consequently, we fully expect NEXUS will be embraced by cardiologists as well as cardiac and vascular surgeons,” Mayberry said in a press release.

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 Physeon names Kullmann as CEO

Vascular medical device developer Physeon said last week it named medtech vet Patrick Kullmann as its new CEO.

Kullmann has previously served in leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) and Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), as well as operating in leadership positions with a number of startups.

“We’re very pleased to have Patrick join the Physeon team at such an exciting time in its evolution. Patrick’s background, experience and accomplishments makes him a perfect leader for the organization,” Physeon parent company Novintum Medical Tech CEO Alan Wilson said in a prepared statement.

“I’m thrilled to join the Physeon team as it continues to move toward the anticipated US clinical trial with its disruptive Veinplicity device for venous access. I am confident that my background in leading highly successful teams will translate into establishing and executing a successful FDA trial strategy for future US approval,” Kullmann said in a press release.

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 Raumedic CEO Bayer moves to N.C.

Raumedic said last week its prez and CEO Martin Bayer is moving his office to North America, looking to lead the company from its Mills River, N.C.-based site which is currently under construction.

Last month, Bayer was tapped as board chair for the company, which is looking to establish itself in the US market. In addition to Bayer’s promotion and move, the company said that COO Martin Schenkel was also tapped as board member for the company.

“I look forward to devoting myself to this task, and being on site will provide me with the best conditions,” Bayer said in a press release.

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 TearLab CFO Brazell to resign, Marquez steps in as interim

TearLab Corp. (OTC:TEAR) said late last month that its chief financial officer Wes Brazell is resigning from the company, effective March 30.

The San Diego, Calif.-based company said that the board of directors has appointed finance senior director Michael Marquez as its interim CFO, also effective March 30.

Prior to his time with TearLab, Marquez held positions with Alcon Laboratories and Price Waterhouse Coopers, the company said.

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• Intuitive Surgical taps Bradshaw as first UK & Ireland GM
• Milestone Scientific names Smith as sales & marketing EVP
• CHF Solutions adds Powers as marketing VP
• Precision Therapeutics appoints Hungerford as sales & marketing VP
• Frequency Therapeutics taps LeBel as EVP

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