Jason Spees Appointed to Chief Executive Officer — Shlomi Nachman To Be Chairman and John Liddicoat To Join the Board of Directors — Expanding Depth of Medical Device Industry Leadership and Track Record of Driving Commercialization Success With Advanced Technology
MARLTON - Sept. 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Impulse Dynamics plc, a global medical device company dedicated to improving the lives of people with heart failure, announced new leadership appointments, including Jason Spees to Chief Executive Officer, Shlomi Nachman to Chairman of the Board, and John Liddicoat, M.D., as a member of the Board of Directors. Spees was recently President and Chief Commercial Officer at Impulse Dynamics and brings a depth of medical device industry experience from commercial leadership roles. Nachman most recently was the Company Group Chairman at Johnson & Johnson, overseeing the Cardiovascular and Specialty Solutions & Vision Group. Liddicoat most recently served as Executive Vice President and President of the Americas Region and Enterprise Technology & Innovation function at Medtronic.
“I am pleased to lead the Impulse Dynamics team, focusing on a strong commercialization strategy and our commitment to an ongoing pace of innovation to change the course of treatment for patients living with heart failure,” said Spees. “We find ourselves in a unique position to capitalize on robust clinical data and a lineup of cutting-edge technologies, exemplified by the Integra-D™ trial featuring the groundbreaking single device that integrates our CCM® technology with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) technology. I look forward to working closely with the board and the leadership team to optimize the company for its next phase of commercial acceleration.”
“I am honored to join the board of an organization that has showcased substantial contributions to the advancement of heart failure treatment,” said Shlomi Nachman. “Over 64 million people suffer from heart failure, and many of those treated are not experiencing the higher quality of life they deserve. With CCM therapy and its future product pipeline, we are in the exciting position of being able to help millions of these patients to feel better and lead fuller lives,” Nachman added. “I’m looking forward to working with the leadership team and the board to ensure a direct path to ongoing innovation and commercial success.”
“I’ve been watching Impulse Dynamics and its technology from the sidelines for many years, and I am excited to now be able to join the team,” said Liddicoat. “I look forward to working with a strong leadership team to lead innovation-driven growth as we aim to enhance the standard of care for heart failure patients across the globe.”
Jason Spees joined the company as President and Chief Commercial Officer in July 2021. He brings more than two decades of successful leadership roles in the medical device industry. Spees was most recently Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Biotronik in the areas of cardiac rhythm management, cardiovascular intervention, peripheral vascular intervention, diagnostics, and digital health. Prior to Biotronik, Spees was the Chief Commercial Officer of Preventice Solutions, along with multiple leadership positions, including Vice President of Sales for Boston Scientific. He holds a B.S. in Operations Research and Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and an M.A. in Public Management - Finance from the University of Maryland.
Shlomi Nachman was the Company Group Chairman of Cardiovascular and Specialty Solutions and Visions Group within Johnson & Johnson’s Medical Devices sector. Nachman was a member of the Medical Devices Group Operating Committee, where he led a diverse portfolio of six medical device businesses, including Electrophysiology, Neurovascular Intervention, Ear, Nose & Throat, Breast Aesthetics, Optometry and Ophthalmology. Before that, Nachman had various roles with increased scope and responsibilities, including Worldwide President of Biosense Webster and Cordis. His career at Johnson & Johnson spanned over 27 years, comprising multiple leadership positions with a proven track record of success that has recognized the ability to drive growth, innovation, and architect business turnarounds. Additionally, Nachman has accrued deep knowledge in all aspects of medical devices, such as general management, strategy, L&A, finance, product development, operations, sales and marketing, and research and development. Nachman was born in Israel and holds a B.S. in Management and Economics from the Technion Institute, as well as a diploma in electrical engineering from the Amal Technical School.
John Liddicoat brings a history of transformational leadership focused on execution. He spent 16 years at Medtronic, driving the strategic direction and global operations of increasing size and scope, including the Structural Heart, Cardiac Rhythm, and Heart Failure businesses. In his most recent role as Executive Vice President and President of the Americas region and the Enterprise Innovation and Technology function, he was responsible for designing and implementing go-to-market strategies to deliver above-market growth across North and South America. Liddicoat graduated medical school from the University of Chicago, completed a residency in general and cardiothoracic surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School. An innovator and entrepreneur, he has also served as a consultant to venture capital firms and early-stage medical device companies.
About the Optimizer® Integra CCM-D™ System and CCM® Therapy
The Optimizer Integra CCM-D System is an investigational device that combines CCM therapy and ICD therapy into one device. This device is being used in an FDA-approved Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study and is not available for sale in the United States.
Impulse Dynamics currently offers the Optimizer system that is FDA-approved and CE-marked. The Optimizer system delivers CCM therapy — the company’s proprietary technology — to the heart. CCM therapy has been designed by Impulse Dynamics to improve the heart’s contraction, allowing more oxygen-rich blood to be pushed out through the body. CCM therapy is indicated to improve the 6-minute hall walk, quality of life, and functional status of NYHA Class III heart failure patients who remain symptomatic despite guideline-directed medical therapy, are not indicated for CRT, and have a left ventricular ejection fraction ranging from 25 to 45 percent.
CCM therapy delivers non-excitatory electrical pulses from the implantable Optimizer device in a manner designed to improve heart contraction. CCM therapy sends unique electrical pulses to the heart cells during their absolute refractory period. Impulse Dynamics has completed numerous clinical studies, including several randomized controlled trials, and CCM therapy has been published in more than 120 peer-reviewed journal articles.
About Impulse Dynamics
Impulse Dynamics is dedicated to advancing the treatment of heart failure for patients and the healthcare providers who care for them. The company pioneered its proprietary CCM therapy, which uses the Optimizer technology platform to improve quality of life in heart failure patients. CCM therapy is delivered through the Optimizer system, which includes an IPG implanted in a minimally invasive procedure and approved for commercial use in the United States and 44 countries worldwide. More than 9,000 patients have received the therapy as part of clinical trials and real-world use, where it is proven to be safe and effective for heart failure patients with debilitating symptoms who otherwise have few effective options available to them.
