MAUNA KEA TECHNOLOGIES (EPA:MKEA) MAUNA KEA TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES KEY MANAGEMENT CHANGES TO ACCELERATE THE COMMERCIAL DEPLOYMENT OF CELLVIZIO IN NORTH AMERICA
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04/10/2011 17:45
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Press release
MAUNA KEA TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES KEY MANAGEMENT CHANGES TO ACCELERATE THE
COMMERCIAL DEPLOYMENT OF CELLVIZIO(r) IN NORTH AMERICA
THIERRY THAURE APPOINTED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE COMPANY'S NORTH
AMERICAN SUBSIDIARY, CHRIS TIHANSKY NAMED EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE
DEVELOPMENT
PARIS (October 4, 2011) - Mauna Kea Technologies (NYSE Euronext: MKEA), leader
in the endomicroscopy market, today announced that it has named medical device
industry veteran Thierry Thaure Chief Executive Officer of its North American
subsidiary. Former North American President Chris Tihansky will lead the
company's expansion efforts as Executive Vice President, Corporate
Development.
"We are delighted to welcome Thierry Thaure as the head of our North American
operations," said Sacha Loiseau, CEO and the founder of Mauna Kea Technologies.
"Thierry brings with him an exceptional experience in creating and growing
sales and marketing teams for rapidly-growing medical technologies companies
like ours. We are confident that with Thierry at the helm in the US, the
company will enjoy a strong growth. "
"We thank Chris for building a solid foundation of relationships with key
opinion leaders and hospital executives around the U.S. Under his leadership,
we have established a strong North American user base, with over 40 U.S.
hospitals now offering Cellvizio (r) endomicroscopy to patients who can benefit
from more accurate diagnoses and immediate treatments," M r. Loiseau continued.
"With additional resources as a result of our initial public offering, we are
now in a position to capitalize on Chris's broad industry knowledge to pursue
new partnering and expansion opportunities."
Mr. Tihansky and Mr. Thaure will report directly to Mr. Loiseau.
"I am proud to be offered the chance to lead the team in the US and grow the
business as we aim to make our technology a new standard of care," Mr. Thaure
said. "As an observer to the company's Board of Directors, I've recognized the
talent at the company and the enormous potential of its flagship product,
Cellvizio. I'm incredibly enthusiastic to be able to leverage the solid base
set up by Chris and his team and implement the sales and marketing
infrastructure needed to support the company's US business strategy for
large-scale commercial deployment of the recently-cleared Cellvizio
100 Series."
On August 29, the company announced that the FDA had cleared the Cellvizio
100 Series, its next generation endomicroscopy system for imaging the GI and
pulmonary tracts.
"The U.S. team has accomplished a great deal in its pursuit to establish the
field of endomicroscopy throughout North America. We have forged a successful
commercialization pathway while developing strong relationships with leading
physicians, hospitals and medical societies," Mr. Tihansky said. "In my new
role, I look forward to helping the company develop new strategic
collaborations and partnerships that will expand our capabilities and ensure
long-term success of this innovative technology worldwide."
Mr. Thaure, former President and CEO of EndoGastric Solutions (EGS), has more
than 30 years experience in the medical device industry. During his career, he
has built successful businesses including four start-up medical device
companies (Origin MedSystems Inc., Intuitive Surgical Inc., ISRG and Accuray
Inc.) and helped introduce technologies and procedures that have pushed the
boundaries of minimally invasive surgery in the North American market. Prior to
joining EGS, Thierry Thaure was Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing for
Accuray and first VP Sales and Marketing at Robotic leader Intuitive Surgical.
Mr. Tihansky joined Mauna Kea Technologies in January 2008 as the President of
its U.S. subsidiary and also brings 23 years of industry experience to his new
role. He started his career as a project engineer then as a sales
representative in orthopedics. In the mid-1990s, Chris was Senior Healthcare
Analyst at Genesis Merchant Group, an investment banking firm based in San
Francisco. He then joined Teleflex Medical where he was appointed Vice
President and General Manager for the surgical instrument business. In 2003,
Chris became President and CEO of Surgical Services Inc. Chris holds an MBA
from the University of San Diego, an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel
University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University.
About Mauna Kea Technologies
Mauna Kea Technologies is a global medical device company and leader in the
endomicroscopy market. The company researches, develops and markets innovative
tools to visualize and detect abnormalities in the gastro-intestinal and
pulmonary tracts. Its flagship product, Cellvizio(r), a probe-based Confocal
Laser Endomicroscopy (pCLE) system, provides physicians and researchers
high-resolution cellular views of tissue inside the body. Large, international,
multi-center clinical trials have demonstrated Cellvizio's ability to help
physicians more accurately detect early forms of disease and make treatment
decisions immediately. Designed to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs
within a hospital, Cellvizio can be used with almost any endoscope. Cellvizio
has 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the
European CE-Mark for use in the GI and pulmonary tracts.
For more information about Mauna Kea Technologies visit www.maunakeatech.com
Disclaimer
This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute an
offer to sell or subscribe to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or
subscribe to, shares in Mauna Kea Technologies ("the Company") in any country.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to the
Company's objectives. Such forward-looking statements are based solely on the
current expectations and assumptions of the Company's management and involve
risk and uncertainties. Potential risks and uncertainties include, without
limitation, whether the Company will be successful in implementing its
strategies, whether there will be continued growth in the relevant market and
demand for the Company's products, new products or technological developments
introduced by competitors, and risks associated with managing growth.
Unfavorable developments in connection with these and other risks and
uncertainties described, in particular, in the Company's prospectus prepared in
connection with its IPO and on which the French Autorité des marches financiers
("AMF") granted its visa number 11-236 on June 230, 2011, could cause the
Company to fail to achieve the objectives expressed by the forward-looking
statements above.
United States France and Europe
Erich Sandoval ALIZE RP
Lazar Partners Ltd. Caroline Carmagnol
Tel: +1 917 497 2867 Tel: + 33 1 42 68 86 43 / + 33 6 64 18 99 59
esandoval@lazarpartners.com caroline@alizerp.com
Anne -Sophie Cosquéric
Tel: + 33 1 42 68 86 41
Anne-sophie@alizerp.com
Mauna Kea Technologies NewCap
Alexander Bryson Investor Relations and Financial Communication
Marketing Communications Pierre Laurent / Axelle Vuillermet
and Brand Manager
Tel: +33 (0) 1 70 08 09 92 Tel: +33 1 44 71 94 94
alexander@maunakeatech.com maunakea@newcap.fr