Patrick K. Donnelly

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Career Profile

Executive chairman

• 25+ years pharma services founder and executive

C-level experience

• Chairman and CEO of Advarra, Inc. until 2020
• Chairman and CEO, from initial formation and sale, of Aptiv Solutions from 2009 to 2014
• PRA International (now PRA Health Sciences, NASDAQ: PRAH) with three other partners, serving as CFO, COO, and CEO over the span of 14 years, taking PRA public in 2004

Integration trailblazer

• Initiated and closed over 39 acquisitions and global integrations and eight separate successful exit transactions, averaging over 4x investors’ money

Education

• Master of Business | Pennsylvania State University
• Bachelor of Science in Business and Journalism | University of Missouri

David W. Dockhorn, M.S., Ph. D.

Chief Operating Officer

Career Profile

• COO at Veranex | 32+ years of life sciences leader

Executive experience

• Co-founder of a full-service CRO that was sold to Carlyle in 1997 and integrated into PRA Health Sciences, Inc. (PRA)

Business steward extraordinaire

• Executive vice president and chief compliance officer from January 2012 until March leading several divisions at PRA including global quality assurance, regulatory affairs, project management office, process and learning management, investigator contracts, talent acquisition, and vendor management (to name a few)

Operations Expert

• Global head of Phase I Operations and the Clinical Pharmacology Laboratories. These businesses represented roughly 2,500 FTEs and a budget of ~$750M

Education

• Ph.D. in Neuroscience | Texas Tech University
• Master of Science in Physiological Psychology | Pittsburgh State University

Joe Ferrara

Chief Strategy Officer

Career Profile

• CSO at Veranex | 20+ years of life sciences consulting

Strategic Leader

• Domain expertise in reimbursement and pricing, health economics, market analysis, and business development strategy
• Extensive experience in the development of strategies designed to capture value for innovative healthcare technologies and services

Key Opinion Leader

• Writer and Speaker extensively on the value of medical technology innovation, with particular focus on precision medicine, advanced diagnostics, and oncology informatics

Outcomes Organizer

• Lead a joint venture between Boston Healthcare and a non-profit research organization focused on a global electronic medical record network for the purposes of clinical trials and health outcomes research

Education

• Master’s Degree | Harvard University
• Bachelors | University of Cincinnati

Dave Mathews

Chief Financial Officer

Career Profile

• CFO at Veranex | 30+ years of operations and financial management executive

Investment driven

• Experience in private equity portfolio companies, strategy, regulatory, and international and capital market transactions

Operations leader

• Senior management roles at five publicly traded companies and six private equity portfolio companies, most recently as president, national security division, at Constellis

Education

• MBA, Finance | George Mason University
• Bachelor of Science in Accounting, MIS | University of Virginia

Doug Dockhorn

Chief Administrative Officer

Career Profile

• CAO at Veranex | 30+ years of experience building life science companies

Entrepreneurial Expertise

• Co-founder of a full-service CRO that was sold to Carlyle and integrated into PRA Health Sciences, Inc.
• Founder and CEO of airPharma
• Co-founder and CEO of Accelerated Vision Group

Strategic Leader

• Vice president at PRA Health Sciences, implementing state-of-the-art data strategies and developed and implementing the Global Process Automation Center of Excellence

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Successfully managed several mergers and acquisitions and integrated transitional phases involving process improvement and operational efficiency

Education

• Bachelor of Science in Business and Personnel Administration | University of Kansas

Luc Behr, DVM, Ph.D.

Co-President, Preclinical Services

Career Profile

• 20+ years of experience and is a recognized thought leader in preclinical science

Design Innovator

• With deep expertise in the design and evaluation of surgical and transcatheter medical devices associated with cutting-edge medical imaging competencies, Luc has helped hundreds of small and large companies to innovate sophisticated medical technologies and implant procedures

Regulatory Navigator

• In addition to design, he can navigate the complex regulatory environment that governs preclinical research
• Luc completed his training in veterinary medicine, his surgical residency, and his MSc and Ph.D. degrees in stem cell research at prestigious institutions in France, as well as an externship at The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine

Education

• Ph.D., Stem Cell Research | University Paris Cité
• MSc, Stem Cell Research | University Paris Cité
• VDM and residency | École nationale vétérinaire d’Alfort – EnvA

Nicolas Borenstein, DVM, Ph.D.

Co-President, Preclinical Services

Career Profile

• Co-President, Preclinical Services at Veranex

MedTech Pioneer

• Spanning the field of surgical and transcatheter preclinical science, with deep expertise in cardiovascular as well as non-cardiovascular medical devices

Medical Writer + Editor

• Widely published author of research articles and textbook chapters and has served as a reviewer for multiple peer-review journals
• Nicolas completed his veterinary medical and surgical training in Paris and in Fort Collins, CO in the US. He completed a Master of Science in Surgical Science with Professor Alain Carpentier in Broussais Hospital, and his PhD with IMM Recherche in Paris

Education

• Ph.D., Cell Therapy | University Paris Cité, Suma cum laude
• Level I, Animal Research certification – Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort
• MSc, Surgical Research | Paris-Sud University (Paris XI)
• DMV and residency | École nationale vétérinaire d’Alfort – EnvA
• Veterinary Thesis, canine spine biomechanics, Magna cum laude
• Microsurgery and experimental surgery, Paris 7 – Faculté de Médecine Lariboisière / Saint Louis

Lisa Carmel

Executive Vice President, Strategic Partnerships

Career Profile

• EVP, Strategic Partnerships| 25+ years of healthcare product commercialization

Global Leadership

• Expert in healthcare product commercialization with companies in the U.S., Europe, and China, with a special emphasis on MedTech innovation

MedTech Pioneer

• Active member of the MedTech and investor communities, acts as an advisor to many startups and accelerators including CLSI’s FAST program, MedTech Innovator, and UCSF Health Hub.
  • Serves as an advisor to the:
  • Cleveland Clinic MedTech Advisory Board
  • Mayo Clinic’s Executive Steering Committee for the Surgical Innovation Summit
  • UCLA Biodesign
  • UCLA’s Technology Ventures Group Advisory Board
  • RedCrow Angel Investor platform.
  • Board Member
• Serves on the Board of Directors for MarinHealth system, a partner of UCSF and is Co-Chair of MedtechWomen’s Annual MedTech Vision Conference in 2021-22

Trend Trailblazer

• Spotlights MedTech innovation trends and is passionate about spotlighting MedTech leadership and their groundbreaking work

Education

• French, History, and Political Economics | Sorbonne
• Bachelor of Science, Political Science, International Relations and Affairs | Wittenberg University

Robert Kieval, VMD, Ph. D.

Executive Vice President, Strategic Partnerships

Career Profile

• EVP at Veranex | 20+ C-level leadership experience in healthcare

Executive Leadership

• Entrepreneurial and disciplined executive in healthcare and a track record of success in innovating, financing, and commercializing sophisticated medical technology
• Career spanning top tier companies in MedTech, accelerators, and startups, with positions including Medical Director at Medtronic and Founder & CEO at CVRx

Healthcare Trailblazer

• Longtime advocate for the medical device industry
• Served on Board of Directors of the Medical Device Manufacturers Association
• Served as Director and Board Chairman at The Medical Alley Association of Minnesota, and has testified before Congress on behalf of the industry
• Named Innovator of the Year by Twin Cities Finance & Commerce and as one of Minnesota’s Top Inventors

Education

• VMD  | University of Pennsylvania
• Ph.D. | University of Pennsylvania

Elisabeth Liljensten

Senior Vice President

Career Profile

• CEO at Devicia AB/Inc. | 20+ years of medical device and healthcare expertise

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Biomaterials Research | University of Gothenburg

Jessica Richter

Executive Vice President, CRO & Consulting Services

Experienced Chief Operating Officer with a demonstrated history in the medical device industry. Skilled in sales, management, marketing, business development, organizational growth, and corporate strategy. A reliable MedTech leader with a passion for innovation and improving patient care.

Career Profile

• COO at Experien Group | 10+ years of medical device and healthcare expertise

Education

• Bachelor of Arts (BA), Mass Communication/Media Studies | University of California, Berkeley

Ryan Roberts

Chief Commercial Officer

Career Profile

CCO at Veranex | 30+ years of sales and marketing experience

Industry Expert

• Deep understanding of the MedTech landscape
• Experience commercializing products ranging from medical devices, to consumables, software, and services

Strategic Thinker

• Leading Veranex’s global commercial strategy, refreshing organizational sales, and marketing philosophies, and identifying areas of opportunity in emerging markets worldwide
• Innovative take on commercialization with a demonstrated decades-long track record of success

Education

M.B.A. | Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering | University of Notre Dame

B.A. in Industrial and Product Design | University of Notre Dame

Danita Harris

Senior Vice President and General Manager

Career Profile

• Executive Director at Abond CRO Inc. | 20+ years of medical device and healthcare expertise

Education

• BA, Human Biology | Brown University

Jim Maciariello

Executive Vice President & General Manager
Product Design & Engineering

Career Profile

• Vice President at Plexus Corp. | 20+ years of medical device and healthcare expertise

Education

• BS, Electrical Engineering | North Carolina State University