BLUEWIND MEDICAL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Market Access
Alan Beckman brings over 30 years of Senior leadership, both in Market Access and Sales, to BlueWind Medical. Alan's spent the last 12 years building and leading the Market Access team at Livanova where he oversaw the success of VNS Neuromodulation therapy in Epilepsy. He also spent over 15 years in sales and sales leadership helping to lead Cephalon from pre-commercial to commercial sales of over 1 billion dollars. Alan holds a B.A. Economics from Rutgers University and an M.B.A from the Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Research and Development
Asher Kuper has held various roles within startups and global companies across the medtech industry for the past 18 years. He previously served as Vice President of Product for Zebra Medical Vision (acquired by Nanox Vision), where he was responsible for the strategic roadmap of organic and joint ventures product management, and as CEO of SpirCare, where he helped pioneer approaches to respiratory disease management based on artificial intelligence. Asher holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering and an M.B.A. from Tel Aviv University.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Board As Director
Barry joined the BlueWind Medical Board as Director in 2022 and brings over 40 years of diverse experience in the financial industry. He is currently the Director of the Kirsh Family Office and sits on the Board of Directors for many of the Kirsh Group Portfolio companies. He was the founder, CEO and shareholder of the Meridian Value Added Tax ("VAT") Reclaim Group which became the largest VAT reclaim agency in the world. In 2013, Barry was appointed Chairman of Magal Security Systems Limited and Jetro Holdings Inc., in addition to sitting on the Board of Ki Corporation Limited. Barry is a Charted Accountant in South Africa and a Registered Auditor in the UK. He holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Accounting from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Chairman
- Executive Chairman
Dan Lemaitre joined BlueWind Medical as Executive Chairman in September 2018 and serves as CEO since January 2020. Dan also serves on the board of Globus Medical (NYSE: GMED) one of the fastest-growing spinal companies with revenue of $700 million per annum. Previously, Dan was the CEO of CoreValve which launched the first commercial transcatheter aortic valve in Europe in 2007. Prior to joining CoreValve, Dan was a Senior Vice President at Medtronic where he headed up strategic planning and corporate development. Earlier in his career, Dan spent 28 years in the medical device field as an investment analyst.
Job Titles:
- Scientist
- Vice President, Medical Affairs and Product Strategy
Dr. Karin Aharonson-Raz is a biomedical scientist, trained as a veterinarian doctor, and holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology, with a multidisciplinary research background in neuroscience, immunology and epidemiology. She has been in BlueWind Medical from the early stages and was involved as the company transitioned from pre-clinical to clinical phases leading the science research, pre-clinical, clinical and regulatory fields.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Chief Medical Officer at Everly Health
Dr. Liz Kwo joined the BlueWind Medical board as a Director in September 2022. Dr. Kwo is currently Chief Medical Officer at Everly Health, a company focused on home care testing. Prior to joining Everly Health, she founded two successful companies: New Pathway Education, a company that provides educational technology throughout China and InfiniteMD, which specializes in connecting international patients to physicians in the US for medical second opinions. Additionally, Dr, Kwo was VP of Provider Networks at American Well, a leading telemedicine company. She also served as Deputy Chief Clinical Officer at Anthem (recently renamed Elevance). Dr. Kwo has an MD from Harvard Medical School, MBA from Harvard Business School, MPH from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and a BA from Stanford University. She is a Board Certified in Preventive Care and Occupational Medicine.
Ilan Neugarten has over 35 years of senior managerial experience and over 15 years of experience in the medical industry. He brings to BlueWind Medical significant experience in medical devices venture capital investments, commercialization, and asset realization. Mr. Neugarten serves as Executive Chairman of Rainbow Medical, BlueWind's founding and largest investor. Previously, he was a partner at DOR Ventures, a VC fund focusing on imaging technologies as part of the Viola Partners Group. During his period at DOR Ventures, he led various investments including medical imaging ventures. Since 2006, he led the healthcare investments of Viola Partners and currently serves on the boards of Angioslide, NanoPass, and PainReform. Prior to joining the Viola Partners Group, he worked for Scitex (NASDAQ: SCIX) in various management positions in Europe, Japan, and Israel. He received his BSc in Electronics from the Technion, Haifa Israel, and an MBA from Boston University.
Kerry Nelson joined BlueWind Medical as Director in December 2020. She brings expertise in investment and financial management as well as deep experience in investing in medical device companies. Ms. Nelson is currently the Portfolio Manager and Founder of Skystone Capital Management LP, which focuses on the healthcare industry. Before starting her own firm, she was a Portfolio Manager at Highbridge Capital Management, a division of JP Morgan Chase & Co. She spent the previous four years as a Partner with Blum Capital Partners LP, an activist fund, where she spearheaded the firm's healthcare sector activities. From 1995 to 2001, Ms. Nelson was at Fidelity during which she launched and managed the firm's Medical Technology Fund. She has previously served as a board observer at Haemonetics (NYSE: HAE) and Kinetics Concepts, Inc. (a division of 3M). Nelson earned a BA from Cornell University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Human Resources
Lisa Mead brings over 30 years of Human Resources experience to BlueWind Medical including 20 years in the healthcare and medical device industry. Prior to joining BlueWind Medical, she was the Head of HR for Silara Medtech Inc., (formerly Direct Flow Medical), where she was responsible for recruitment, organizational development, succession planning, inclusion and diversity, compensation and community and wellness initiatives. Before Silara Medtech, Inc., Lisa worked in London for the National Health Service (NHS), the largest employer in the United Kingdom. She was responsible for talent management, conflict resolution and mediation, and organizational transformation. Lisa has a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication from Emerson University in Boston and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Irvine.
Mike Ruger brings over 30 years of Senior Sales, Executive Leadership, and Consulting experience with both large and small medical device companies including Ethicon Endosurgery (J&J), Spectranetics, Micrus, HeartWare, and Medtronic. In 2010 Mike joined HeartWare pre-commercial and built the North America field team from the ground up. He recruited a passionate and high-performing, customer-facing team. Once commercial, HeartWare substantially grew market share, consistently exceeding corporate sales goals, and eventually gaining a market leadership position. In 2016 HeartWare was acquired by Medtronic for over $1B. Mike holds a B.A. in Business Management from the University of Northern Colorado.
Moshe Ben-Chorin has more than 20 years of experience in the high-tech industry. Prior to joining Bluewind Medical, he served as Vice President of the High-Tech Programs at Ramot, the business engagement center of Tel Aviv University. Before that, he served as VP R&D and headed the system engineering group at Aspect Imaging, where he was involved in the development of medical and pre-clinical MRI systems. Prior to that, Moshe held R&D positions at various companies, including being a co-founder and chief scientist of Genoa Color Technologies, where he guided the development of multi-primary display technology from idea to maturation. Moshe holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and spent several years following graduation in academic research. He is an author of about 60 scientific publications and a co-inventor of more than 20 patent families.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Operations
Paul Maguire brings more than 25 years of operations experience in medical devices to BlueWind Medical, with a career spanning multinational organizations such as Stryker, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Allergan, and, most recently, AbbVie. As Executive Director of New Jersey Operations at AbbVie, Paul led a large-scale regenerative medicine business and oversaw major operational transformation programs. Before that, he also managed a startup operation and supply chain for the VenaSeal delivery system for the treatment of varicose veins, supporting the global sales team within Europe, Canada, and the U.S., following the successful completion of a premarket approval application, later to be acquired by Covidien/Medtronic. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the Dundalk Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from the Athlone Institute of Technology.
Dr. Roger Dmochowski is a world-renowned leader in the fields of urology, OAB, and incontinence, a recipient of the Zimskind Award and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Urodynamics Society for his accomplishments in the clinical treatment for incontinence, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a member of the American Urological Association and International Continence Society, and a trustee of the American Board of Urology. An accomplished scholar, Dr. Dmochowski has published over 320 articles, 100 book chapters, and 460 abstracts, given over 260 presentations at various national and international meetings, led and participated in dozens of OAB and incontinence studies, is the Editor-in-Chief of NeuroUrology and Urodynamics, and serves on the editorial board for several scientific journals.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Clinical and Regulatory Affairs
Roni Diaz brings her 24 years of experience in medical device clinical trial management to the table at Bluewind Medical. Prior to joining the company, Roni was Director of Clinical Research at Insightec in Dallas, Texas, where she was responsible for the planning, oversight and organization of US and OUS feasibility, pre-approval, and post-approval studies for a Class III medical device. Before Insightec, Roni was the Global Director of Clinical Affairs for 13 years at Abbott Neuromodulation (formerly St. Jude Medical) in Plano, Texas. She was responsible for oversight of the chronic pain portfolio of studies, including protocol development, study execution, publication planning, and regulatory body submissions. Roni has a B.Sc. in Health Sciences from San Jose State University.
Roy Katz - Chief Commercial Officer
Roy Katz brings to BlueWind Medical more than two decades of global and cross-cultural leadership and business experience in the medical device industry, in both startups and large corporations. Prior to joining BlueWind Medical, Roy served as Vice President for Business Development for Rainbow Medical, a medical device investment firm and technology incubator. Previously, Roy served as marketing director for Rhythmia Medical, a venture-backed medical device startup that was acquired by Boston Scientific in 2012. Prior to joining Rhythmia, Roy held several marketing positions at Medtronic HQ in Minneapolis, MN.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Marketing
Sandra Muhlfeld brings 20 years of experience commercializing new medical technologies in both early-stage and large medical device companies. Previously, she held a variety of executive roles at Caldera Medical, a women's pelvic health medical device company, where she played a key role in building the company from the R&D stage to a high-growth privately held business. Sandra served as the Vice President of Marketing, and most recently she served as the Vice President, Portfolio and Clinical Strategy. Prior to joining Caldera Medical, Sandra held a variety of positions in global and U.S. marketing at Guidant and St. Jude Medical. Sandra holds a B.S. in Physical Therapy from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Seamus O'Connor brings 23 years of experience in the medical device industry across quality assurance and regulatory affairs, working with various medical device technologies. His product experience includes life-supporting and sustaining devices, as well as sterile, implantable, and consumable devices. He has successfully managed numerous U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspections and other regulatory body audits. Prior to BlueWind Medical, Seamus held positions of increasing responsibility at MEDNOVA, TE Connectivity, Boston Scientific, and Natus Medical. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a Higher Diploma in quality management from the University of Galway, Ireland.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Board As Director
Seth Segel joined the BlueWind Medical Board as Director in 2022 and brings his expertise to the financial and medical device sectors. Seth currently serves as the President and Chief Operating Officer for the Continence Care and Home Services Group at ConvaTec, a global medical product and technology company. He joined ConvaTec in September 2017 following the acquisition of Woodbury Health Products, where he served as CEO for five years. Prior to ConvaTec, Seth served at Cantel Medical Corp as an EVP for a decade - a New York Stock Exchange-listed specialty healthcare company dedicated to Infection Prevention and Control. Seth has lived and worked in North America, Asia, and Europe holding positions in investment banking, management consulting, and as head of operations for a global media research firm. Seth holds an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics with honors from the University of Pennsylvania.
Stephen Armstrong has a wealth of experience in financial management spanning more than 30 years, with a diverse background in both the healthcare and consumer sectors. Joining BlueWind Medical, he brings his extensive expertise gained from leadership positions in renowned companies such as Medtronic, KPGM Peat Marwick (in International Tax), United Airlines, Pharmacia, and Pfizer. Steve is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College, as well as a Master's in Management degree from the prestigious J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Compliance
Susan Hanstad is an accomplished medical device Compliance professional with over 30 years of experience developing, implementing, and managing comprehensive, global Compliance programs in alignment with applicable laws and industry guidelines. She is proficient at leading key initiatives that educate, train, motivate and influence cross-functional teams to create a culture of compliance, integrity, and accountability. Susan serves as an essential business partner on Compliance matters related to interactions with healthcare professionals and patients, sales and marketing/promotional strategies and materials, healthcare fraud and abuse and anti-bribery and anti-corruption issues. She also serves as BlueWind's Data Protection Officer, managing the company's lawfulness, fairness and transparency of applicable data privacy and security regulations and laws. Prior to joining BlueWind Medical, Susan was the Senior Director of Compliance at Endologix, LLC for 10 years, where she was responsible for the development, implementation, and management of the global Compliance program.