President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors
Maurice R. Ferré, M.D. is the founding President and Chief Executive Officer and current Chairman of the Board of Directors of MAKO Surgical Corp. In June 2007, he received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 award for emerging companies in Florida. In 1993, Dr. Ferré founded Visualization Technology, Inc., a medical device company for image-guided surgery, where he served as Chief Executive Officer until April 2002 when Visualization Technology was acquired by GE Healthcare, the healthcare division of the General Electric Company.
Dr. Ferré served as Vice President of Strategic Development for GE Navigation, a Division of GE Healthcare from April 2002 until April 2004. In May 2004, Dr. Ferré became the Chief Executive Officer of Z-KAT, Inc., a surgical navigation device company, which eventually spun-off the orthopedic robotics segment that became the basis for the founding of MAKO Surgical. He holds an M.D. and a Master's degree in Public Health from Boston University.
Fritz L. LaPorte
Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Fritz L. LaPorte, Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, has been with MAKO Surgical Corp. since its inception in November 2004. Beginning in 2001, Mr. LaPorte served as Chief Financial Officer of Z-KAT, Inc., a surgical navigation device company. Prior to joining Z-KAT, Mr. LaPorte served as the Director of Finance for Holy Cross Hospital, a 580-bed acute facility in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, from 1997 to 2000.
In addition, he also served as a Senior Auditor in the Healthcare Group of Ernst and Young LLP from 1993 to 1997. Mr. LaPorte received a B.B.A. degree in accounting from Florida Atlantic University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Rony A. Abovitz
Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
Rony A. Abovitz, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, has been with MAKO Surgical Corp. since its inception in November 2004. Mr. Abovitz is responsible for leading the development of MAKO Surgical's technology and product portfolio, including an IP portfolio of more than 240 patents held by the company. His background includes orthopedic and cardiovascular implant development, including involvement with medical robotics and computer-assisted technologies since 1995. Mr. Abovitz was also the co-founder of Z-KAT, Inc., a surgical navigation device company, which eventually spun-off the orthopedic robotics segment that became the basis for the founding of MAKO Surgical.
From its inception, Mr. Abovitz held various executive positions, including Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Abovitz worked as a research and development engineer for Lima Orthopedics, Inc. developing orthopedic implants. Mr. Abovitz was also named a 2005 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum for his work on computer-assisted technologies for minimally invasive surgery. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering and a M.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Miami.
Menashe R. Frank, Esq.
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Menashe R. Frank, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, has been with MAKO Surgical Corp. since its inception in November 2004. From July 2004 until the formation of MAKO Surgical Corp., Mr. Frank was a legal consultant to Z-KAT, Inc. Mr. Frank was previously a member of the corporate, securities and finance groups of Hogan & Hartson LLP, where he served as outside corporate counsel for Z-KAT, Inc., from 2001 to 2004.
Mr. Frank was a corporate associate at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie from 2000 to 2001. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Frank served as Chief Legal Officer for Enticent.com, Inc., a marketing technology enterprise. He was an associate in the business finance and restructuring department of the law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP from 1996 to 1998. Mr. Frank holds a B.A. in political science from American University and a J.D. from the University Of Miami School Of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude.
Duncan H. Moffat
Senior Vice President of Operations
Duncan H. Moffat, Senior Vice President of Operations, has been with us since April 2008. From 2001 to 2008, Mr. Moffat served as VP of Operations for the nuclear medicine business of Philips Medical Systems, a worldwide manufacturer of medical imaging equipment. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Moffat served as Vice President of Operations for Lumisys, a start-up company providing digital x-ray products that was sold to Eastman Kodak in 2001. Beginning in 1982, Mr. Moffat held various positions with the Lucas companies, first with two Lucas affiliates in England, followed by a position as project manager with Lucas Control Systems Products, Hampton, Virginia, and then by a position as Director of Operations with Lucas Deeco Systems, Hayward, California, from 1995 to1998. Mr. Moffat holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland.
Steven J. Nunes
Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Steve J. Nunes, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, has been with MAKO Surgical Corp. since May 2006. In 2002, prior to joining MAKO, Mr. Nunes served as Director of Commercialization for GE Healthcare. In 1996, Mr. Nunes joined Visualization Technology, Inc., a medical device company for image-guided surgery. There he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing until April 2002, when Visualization Technology was acquired by GE Healthcare, the healthcare division of the General Electric Company.
In 1990, Mr. Nunes established SJN Medical Inc., an independent distributor for a wide range of surgical endoscopy products, where he served as President until the company was acquired in 1996. Mr. Nunes received a B.A. degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Benny Hagag
Vice President of Business Development
Benny Hagag, Vice President of Business Development, has been with MAKO Surgical Corp. since its inception in November 2004. Mr. Hagag previously served as the Engineering Manager for Z-KAT, Inc., leading the development of computer assisted surgery products for orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Hagag served as the Mechanical Systems Engineering Manager for GE CT/PET System, leading the development and rapid design transfer process to enable sales of fifty systems in the first twelve months of commercial sales.
In 1997, Mr. Hagag became the Team Leader for Mechanical Engineering at Elgems and Elscint in the nuclear and functional imaging business, which was later acquired by GE. Mr. Hagag was also previously responsible for the mechanical systems of the F-16 fighter aircraft and the development of MRPV (mini remotely-piloted vehicle) for the Israeli Air Force. Mr. Hagag holds a BSc. in aerospace engineering and a M.B.A. from Technion University in Israel.
William F. Tapia
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance
William F. Tapia, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, has been with MAKO Surgical Corp. since its inception in November 2004. Mr. Tapia's background is in orthopedic medical devices for spine and image-guided surgery. In 1997, Mr. Tapia co-founded Z-KAT, Inc., and served as a key executive leading the regulatory affairs and quality assurance departments until November 2004, when he transitioned to MAKO. Mr. Tapia obtained all regulatory clearances for MAKO's product lines. He also established the Quality Systems and obtained ISO certification in preparation for international distribution for both Z-Kat and MAKO. Mr. Tapia has a B.S. in mathematics from Jacksonville University and an M.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Miami.
Stock Information MAKO (NASD)
Aug 20, 2008
$7.34 0.37
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