Surgical Robotics Technology
Distalmotion has announced the appointment of three new members to its senior leadership team. Frank Schulkes has come aboard as Chief Financial Officer, Larry Carrier has been appointed VP Regulatory Affairs and Quality, and Matt Howson has joined the company as Chief Operations Officer.
“We are very pleased to welcome Frank, Larry and Matt to the Distalmotion leadership team.” said Michael Friedrich, CEO. “Their extensive strategic and operational experience in scaling and running successful, global medical device businesses will be instrumental in bringing Dexter and the benefits of on-demand robotic assistance to more ORs, in Europe first and then the rest of the world, including the US.”
Frank Schulkes has 25 years of experience in developing and financing public medical device companies. Among his latest appointments, he was former CFO of GE Healthcare and ConvaTec Group Plc. Frank will be a catalyst to the company’s development and play a leading role in driving forward the company’s vision: Establishing on-demand robotics as the new and improved standard of care for minimally invasive surgery in the abdomen and pelvis.
Larry Carrier brings over three decades of experience in Regulatory and Quality Affairs in the medical device sector to the table. He has held various Regulatory and Quality Affairs positions in the past including at Medtronic, Verily Life Sciences and most recently Coala Life AB. Larry’s experience will be invaluable to Distalmotion, particularly in the FDA certification process that the company is currently preparing for.
Matt Howson has a unique track-record of developing and managing global supply chains and operations in medical device companies of various sizes and in different phases of their corporate development. Before his role as VP of Global Operations & Supply Chain for ConvaTec’s Infusion Care business, he spent 16 years at Johnson & Johnson. There he had roles in contract manufacturing management, global services, operations strategy, continuous improvement, large program management, and new product launches. Matt’s expertise will be critical to helping Distalmotion scale-up, optimize its end-to-end operations and bring resilience to its supply chain.
These additions to the leadership team cap off a year that saw Distalmotion achieve several milestones following the closing of a USD 90 million Series E financing round. Most notably the successful initial commercial roll-out of Dexter in select European markets, where the system has now been established in routine clinical use and is making an impact for patients, surgeons and OR teams on a daily basis.
“It’s a privilege to become part of the Distalmotion team and to get involved hands-on. I believe the potential for growth and value creation is tremendous, given the team we have in place and Dexter’s strongly differentiated value proposition.” added Frank Schulkes. “Dexter stands for a true paradigm shift in robotic surgery, as the only platform that manages to simplify robotics, thus making the technology more user-friendly and versatile. And the on-demand mindset brings Dexter’s differentiated excellence to life, unlocking new choices and additional control for surgeons that can help improve treatment options for patients – a cause that I am eager to get behind and drive forward.”
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join Distalmotion at this important phase of the company’s development.” expressed Larry Carrier. “I’m convinced that Dexter’s novel approach to robotic surgery gives surgeons more choice and more control in the OR. Making the right tools available at the right time – on-demand –makes a lot of sense. This simplified and focused concept has the potential to shake up the status-quo in the industry and I look forward to contributing to this vision as part of the Distalmotion family.”
“I’ve been following Distalmotion for a while now, and I’m impressed by what the company has already achieved.” says Matt Howson. “Dexter couples the precision of robotic surgery with the reliability and excellence of Swiss engineering and manufacturing. A premium product that is also a category creator, on-demand robotics with Dexter opens new possibilities in the OR and empowers surgeons and OR staff alike. This has me excited for what lies ahead and the impact we can make towards the betterment of patient care. I look forward to playing my role on Team Dexter as we bring this unique value proposition to more hospitals worldwide.”
“With Frank, Larry and Matt joining the Distalmotion leadership team we have added key expertise and experience to support our fast scale-up and international roll-out.” said Rick Anderson, Chairman of the Distalmotion board. “We are at a pivotal point in our development – and we continue to ‘think big’. People led and purpose driven, with the surgeon and their OR team at the center of our universe, we are confident that we can make a meaningful and large-scale impact for healthcare institutions and patients.”
Source: Distalmotion
