ViewRay picks up ex-Spectranetics CEO Drake, COO Matin | Personnel Moves - July 25, 2018

ViewRay (NSDQ:VRAY) said yesterday it tapped former Spectranetics head Scott Drake as its new chief executive officer and former Spectranetics COO Shar Matin as its new COO.

Before joining ViewRay, Drake served as CEO and prez of Spectranetics, which was acquired by Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) in a deal that closed last August. Drake also serves as board chair for AtriCure and JustRight Surgical.

Newly appointed COO Matin also worked for Spectranetics, starting in 2007, and holding the COO position from 2014 until it was acquired by Philips.

“I am excited to join the ViewRay team as we drive growth and innovation to benefit customers and cancer patients globally. ViewRay’s MRIdian technology, team and early clinical outcomes position us well to create shareholder value,” Drake said in a press release.

Drake will replace departing prez and CEO Chris Raanes, while Matin will replace departing COO Doug Keare, ViewRay said. The Cleveland-based company said it also added D. Keith Grossman and newly elected CEO Drake to its board of directors.

“It has been a great five years at ViewRay. I am very excited about Scott and Shar taking the company to its next growth phase, and will ensure a smooth transition,” Raanes said in a prepared release.

“We are delighted to welcome Scott as our new president and chief executive officer and Shar as our new chief operating officer. We believe that Scott and Shar’s deep operational experience with fast-growing medical companies will be invaluable as we bring ViewRay’s revolutionary technology to the fight against cancer for patients around the world. We are also delighted to welcome Keith Grossman as a new member of our board. With more than 30 years of leadership in the medical technology industry, we look forward to Mr. Grossman’s counsel and perspective. I would like to thank Chris, who led ViewRay through the development and commercialization of the MRIdian technology. I would also like to acknowledge the extensive contributions and dedication that Doug displayed during his tenure at ViewRay,” board chair Daniel Moore said in a prepared statement.

New Procyrion CEO is former St Jude exec Fain

Procyrion said on monday it tapped former Abbott (NYSE:ABT) and St. Jude Medical exec Dr. Eric Fain as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately.

Dr. Fain originally joined St. Jude in 1997 as systems development VP after the company acquired Ventritex, Houston-based Procyrion said. He held multiple positions at the company until it was acquired by Abbott, after which he served as cardiovascular and neuromodulation group prez and senior VP.

“Procyrion’s board led an extensive CEO search and Eric was the board’s clear choice given his experience, background, leadership style and proven track record. The board is absolutely confident that Eric is the right person to guide Procyrion through its next chapter of transformation and lead the organization to establishing the Aortix system as a key tool in the treatment and management of heart failure with an initial focus on cardio-renal syndrome,” board chair Gary Burbach said in a prepared statement.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Eric’s caliber join our team. It is a testament to the great progress the team has made and to the importance of the unmet clinical need addressed by the Aortix technology. We look forward to Eric’s leadership as Procyrion navigates the path to commercialization,” CEO Benjamin Hertzog said in a press release.

“I am excited to be joining Procyrion at this time as we focus on completing the ongoing development activities in order to bring the Aortix percutaneous pump into human clinical trials and on to commercialization. This innovative technology holds promise to greatly improve the treatment of heart failure patients, in particular those hard to treat patients who also have kidney disease, which is a large and growing unmet clinical need. I am proud to be joining such a talented and dedicated team and look forward to bringing to market a new therapy that can significantly improve the outcomes of heart failure patients around the world,” Fain said in a prepared release.

Google (NSDQ:GOOG) said last week it hired former Cleveland Clinick CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove as an executive advisor to its Google Clourd Healthcare and Life Sciences team.

The tech giant said that Dr. Cosgrove was added to help the team focus on decreasing administrative burdens faced by physicians to prevent provider “burnout,” according to a blog post.

Dr. Cosgrove will aid the company in tackling the “quadruple aim”, which is an expansion upon the traditional “triple aim” framework from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement which includes improving patient experience, improving health populations and reducing per capita cost. The fourth aim Google hopes to improve is lessening the administrative burden on physicians, according to the blog post.

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Cosgrove on board to help us tackle the Quadruple Aim, drawing on his several decades of experience at the forefront of American medicine,” Google Cloud healthcare VP Dr. Gregoy Moore wrote in an official blog post.

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Ohio Medical taps Hills for CFO

Ohio Medical said last week it added Peter Hills as its new CFO, effective immediately.

Prior to joining Ohio Medical, Hills held positions with Ohmite, the Gurnee, Ill.-based company said.

“I look forward to driving operational and reporting excellence and a finance-focused look at growing EBITDA through acquisition, pricing initiatives, complementary product launches and overall gross margin and expense optimization,” Hills said in a press release.

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Intent Solutions hires Dane as CFO

Intent Solutions, which was launched from Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center, said that it has hired Nathan Dane as its new CFO.

Prior to joining Intent Solutions, Dane held positions with EndoChoice and Carestream Dental, the Atlanta-based company said.

“We are delighted that Nathan has joined our team. We are impressed with his blend of banking and medical device experience, his energy, drive and commitment, and his track record delivering business results to both small startups and large, well-established enterprises. It’s experience that will set us on a solid financial course over the next year and beyond,” CEO Sam Zamarripa said in a prepared statement.

“These folks are mountain climbers, an incredibly motivated team. In the same way that seat belts, and eventually airbags, became a ubiquitous element in vehicle safety standards, Intent Solutions, with its technology and mission to put the control back in controlled substances, will usher in the next era of safety for prescription drugs, saving thousands of lives in the process,” Dane said in a press release.

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