OUR TEAM
Our leadership team is built for purpose and inspired by collaborating
with our partners to empower solutions for healthcare.
Jessica Richter
Executive Vice President, CRO & Consulting Services
Jim Maciariello
Executive Vice President & General Manager
Product Design & Engineering
Danita Harris
Senior Vice President and General Manager, Clinical Data Services
Ryan Roberts
Chief Commercial Officer
Patrick K. Donnelly
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
David W. Dockhorn, M.S., Ph. D.
Chief Operating Officer
Joe Ferrara
Chief Strategy Officer
Dave Mathews
Chief Financial Officer
Doug Dockhorn
Chief Administrative Officer
Luc Behr, DVM, Ph.D.
Co-President, Preclinical Services
Nicolas Borenstein, DVM, Ph.D.
Co-President, Preclinical Services
Lisa Carmel
Executive Vice President, Strategic Partnerships
Robert Kieval, VMD,
Ph. D.
Executive Vice President, Strategic Partnerships
Elisabeth Liljensten
Senior Vice President, Clinical Research
Kim Rochat
Senior Vice President, Global Compliance and Quality
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Veranex was conceived in 2020 when a serial entrepreneur Patrick Donnellyspotted, what was to him, a very familiar pattern in the medtech industry. After 30+ years helping shape the consolidation within the pharmaceutical contract research (CRO) field, Pat new the benefits of scale that enabled his pharma clients to launch new therapies into complex, highly regulated, and global markets.
Pat and a team of trusted operators built the Veranex integration thesis backed by the accomplished healthcare investor Darren Black and the financial resources of Summit Partners. Veranex was officially launched in 2021 to become the industry’s first true concept through commercialization service provider focused on the medical device industry. By the end of 2021 Veranex had formed a platform by acquiring 6 leading medtech brands including Boston Healthcare Associates, Ximedica, Quartesian, Experien, IMMR and Worrell Design.
The Commercialization Platform:
- Product Design & Engineering
- Regulatory & Quality Consulting
- Preclinical Services
- Clinical Research and Data Management
- Market Access and Health Economics
Follow our story to see how Veranex is changing the paradigm by bringing together medtech expertise across the globe to accelerate and enable life saving and life enhancing innovation.
Patrick K. Donnelly
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 Adair, M.D., MBA
Career Profile
- 20+ years as an angel and venture capital investor
- Founding member of Solas BioVentures
INVESTMENT DRIVEN
- He has led investments and served on the boards of Francis Medical, Biostable S&E, Arrivo Bio Ventures, NX Prenatal, Elira, InterShunt Technologies, AEGEA Medical (acquired by Cooper Surgical), Veran Medical Technologies (acquired by Olympus Corporation of America), Addrenex (acquired by Sciele/Shionogi), NeuroNex (acquired by Acorda), Velo Bio (acquired by AMAG Pharmaceuticals), Aerial Bio (acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals), NxThera (acquired by Boston Scientific), and Knopp BioSciences (asset purchase by Biohaven Pharmaceutical)
TECHNOLOGY PIONEER
- He is also an inventor and prior c-suite operator of a device and pharmaceutical startup
CLINICAL LEADER
- 20+ years as a practicing physician and as a professor and vice chairman of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine
Education
- M.D | Joan C. Edwards College of Medicine at Marshall University
- MBA | Gary W. Rollins School of Business at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
- Bachelor of Science in Biology | from Morehead State University
Marshall S. Stanton, M.D.
Career Profile
- 30+ years as a senior executive in healthcare focused on medical device
- Senior VP, Clinical Research, and CMO at Artivion (formerly CryoLife)
CLINCAL EXPERTISE
- 10 years at Mayo Clinic as a cardiologist and as an associate professor of Medicine
- 21 years at Medtronic as a CO and senior VP. President of the $1.3B pain therapies business unit, general manager of the $1.4B implantable defibrillator business, and general manager of the Japan cardiac rhythm management and external defibrillator businesses
- Lead clinical research departments including $8B cardiac and vascular group
INNOVATION ENABLER
- P/L management, launching new products and therapies, negotiating with FDA and CMS (Medicare), acquisition and integration of companies, and leading clinical research organizations
- Board member of medical device and services companies, a hospital, and academic institutions
COMMUNITY BUILDER
- In addition to mentoring many employees, he was a member of the leadership team of the Medtronic Women’s Network
Education
- M.D. | Medical College of Virginia
- Bachelor of Arts | University of Pennsylvania
Darren M. Black
Career Profile
- Years of experience in the healthcare and life sciences sector
- Managing director at Summit Partners
HEALTHCARE INNOVATOR
Managing partner with SV Life Sciences, was co-founder and president of two companies — ClinCare and PharmaStar — and served as a healthcare consultant for Accenture
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
Darren’s current board directorships include InnovaCare Partners, Leon Medical Centers, LifeStance Health, Paradigm Outcomes, PharmScript, Sound Physicians, TurningPoint Healthcare Solutions, U.S. Renal Care, and VaxCare, in addition to Veranex
Education
- MBA | Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
- Bachelor of Arts in Government | Harvard College
Ali Dowd
Career Profile
- Vice President at Summit Partners
- Focused primarily on the healthcare and life sciences sector
OPPORTUNITY FINDER
Prior to Summit, Ali worked in the Healthcare Group at Thomas H. Lee Partners utilizing key competencies including strategy, data analysis and due diligence. Previously, she worked at TA Associates and BlackArch Partners
Education
- Bachelor of Arts in Economics | Vanderbilt University
Uri Geiger, PH.D
Career Profile
- 30+ years extensive entrepreneurial, management and investment know-how
- Founder of Accelmed
INNOVATION ORIGINATOR
- CEO of Exalenz Bioscience Ltd. (TASE:EXEN), developer of an innovative breath-based technology for diagnosing liver and gastrointestinal disorders which Dr. Geiger took public in 2007 and later sold to Meridian (NASDAQ: VIVO)
- Co-founded and CEO of GalayOr Networks, a developer of optical components, sold in 2003 to MEMSCAP (EuroNext: MEMS)
- Founding partner of Dragon Variation Fund, one of Israel’s first hedge funds, which was sold to Migdal in 2007
CAPITAL EXPERTISE
- Profession on Wall Street during the 1990s, where he gained a broad understanding of capital markets and significant experience, which he put to use after returning to Israel in 1999
- Former adjunct professor at the Recanati Business School at Tel Aviv University, where he lectured on private equity and venture capital
AUTHOR
- Startup Companies and Venture Capital (Tel Aviv University Press, 2001) and From Concept to Wall Street (Financial Times – Prentice Hall, 2003)
COMMUNITY BUILDER
- Dr. Geiger is also involved in an extensive philanthropic activity and is the Founder & Chairman of Friends of Poriya Medical Center in the US
Education
- PHD in Global Equity Markets | Columbia University Center for Law & Economics
- Major | Israeli Air Force.
Samuel Levy
Career Profile
- Samuel is a physician entrepreneur
- Founder of Allurion and Founding Partner at Lauxera Capital
CONSULTANT
- He started his career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company in New York before moving to Boston to attend Harvard Medical School
CLINICAL TRAILBLAZER
- As a second-year medical student, Samuel co-founded Allurion Technologies and built a fully-integrated, global medical device company from the idea stage to commercialization in more than 30 countries
Education
- M.D. | Harvard Medical School
- Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry | Yale University
- Fulbright Scholar | Pasteur Institute
Scott Huennekens
Career Profile
- Successful Medtech CEO, Chairperson, board member, and investor,| 30+ years healthcare leadership
Executive experience
- 20+ startup, growth and public companies with market valuations that have totaled over $20B and more importantly 20 million patients
Current professional affiliations
- Currently serves on 4 public boards – Executive Chairperson Hyperfine (HYPR) IPO 2021, Chairperson Acutus Medical (AFIB) IPO 2020, Chairperson Envista (NVST) IPO 2019, Board Member Nuvasive (NUVA)
- Board roles at 6 private companies Wondr Medical, Kardion, Q’apel Medical, Proximie, Foldax, and Veranex.
MedTech CEO experience
- President, CEO, Chairmain of the Board for Verb Surgical 2015-2019
- President & CEO Volcano Corporation 2002-2015
- President & CEO Digirad Corporationn 199-2002
Education
- Master in Business Administration | Harvard Graduate School of Buisiness
- Bachelor of Science | University of Southern California
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
Kim Rochat
Senior Vice President
Passionate about systems and systemic approaches, I enjoy understanding, working with, and improving organizations that operate at the interface of science and governance.
Regulation is my favorite playground where achieving compliance in the most efficient manner is my main goal. When working on projects, it’s about contributing to safe, secure and effective products by using best practices in healthcare management, data protection and cybersecurity. These are all key components to finding innovative solutions that can help solve technical or societal challenges.
Career Profile
- Senior Partner at Medidee | 15+ years of medical device and healthcare expertise
Education
- MBA, Information Security Management | University of Applied Sciences (HES), Geneva