CVRx leadership team

Kevin Hykes has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer, since February 2024, and as a director on the Board, since December 2022. Mr. Hykes previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Augmedics, Inc., an augmented reality surgical navigation company, from December 2021 to February 2024. He has also served as a Venture Advisor to Vensana Capital, a medtech-focused investment firm, since November 2019. Mr. Hykes previously served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of each of Bardy Diagnostics, Inc., a remote cardiac monitoring and individual health services company, from August 2020 until its acquisition in June 2021, and Relievant, Inc., a provider of interventional treatment for chronic low back pain, from 2017 to January 2020. He also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Metavention Inc., a neuromodulation company, from 2013 to 2017, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cameron Health, Inc., a cardioverter-defibrillator medical device company from 2010 until its acquisition in 2013, and Chief Commercial Officer of Visiogen, Inc., a developer of products for cataract and refractive patients, from 2008 until its acquisition in 2010. Mr. Hykes served as an Operating Partner at Versant Ventures, a healthcare focused venture capital firm, from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Hykes currently serves on the board of directors of Metavention Inc. and previously served on the boards of directors of Bardy Diagnostics, Inc., Relievant, Inc., and Veran Medical Systems, Inc., an interventional pulmonology medical device company. Mr. Hykes received a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University.

Jared Oasheim has served as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer since October 2020 and has over 19 years of finance experience. Mr. Oasheim joined the Company in August 2015 as VP of Finance/Controller. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Oasheim held various leadership roles at three emerging growth technology companies after starting his career with KPMG LLP. Mr. Oasheim received a B.S. in Accounting from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He is a certified public accountant (inactive).

Paul Verrastro has served as the Company’s Chief Marketing Officer since January 2021 and became Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer in June 2022. He has over 33 years of experience in the cardiac rhythm market. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Verrastro managed his own consulting business, working with clients such as St. Jude Medical, Abbott Cardiovascular and Medtronic CRDM. Mr. Verrastro started his career as a sales representative for Medtronic, and after ten years in the field, he joined Guidant Corporation as Director of Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators Marketing. Mr. Verrastro then served as Vice President of Marketing for all of Guidant Corporation in Europe and later as Vice President of Global Marketing for their customer relationship management division. In May 2011, Mr. Verrastro rejoined Medtronic as Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing. Over his career, he has helped bring a number of new technologies to market, including implantable cardiac defibrillators, cardiac resynchronization therapies, implantable loop recorders and leadless pacing. Mr. Verrastro received a B.S. degree from Syracuse University.

Philip B. Adamson, MD, MSc, FACC, FESC, FRCP (Ed)

Dr. Philip B. Adamson is a distinguished figure in the field of cardiology, particularly known for his contributions to heart failure management and innovation in medical technology. He earned his MD with distinction from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and an MSc in neurophysiology from the same institution. He served on the faculty at Oklahoma with NIH funded research evaluating the complexities of cardiac autonomic mechanisms in risk for lethal ventricular arrhythmias post-myocardial infarction and ischemic cardiomyopathy. His research spanned from the bench to bedside where he was instrumental in advancing health technology aimed at improving patient care for heart failure. Dr. Adamson’s work focused on innovations that empower patients through health tech, and enhancing virtual care solutions, especially focusing on remote physiologic monitoring from both implantable therapy delivery devices, such as cardiac resychronization therapy pacemakers, and implantable diagnostic devices, such as the CardioMEMS HF System.

After leaving traditional clinical practice, Dr. Adamson was a Divisional Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer at Abbott’s Heart Failure division for nearly 10 years and more recently joined CVRx, Inc as Chief Medical Officer. His efforts now focus on autonomic nervous system modulation using implantable electrical stimulation approaches with the Barostim NEO device aimed at alleviating heart failure symptoms and improving quality of life. He has authored over 150 manuscripts and book chapters, significantly contributing to the body of knowledge in cardiology. His clinical trial and research leadership combines traditional clinical insights with cutting-edge technology to predict and prevent rather than merely react to health crises with personalized implantable technologies.

Robert John brings over 25 years of experience in the medical device industry to his role as CVRx's Chief Revenue Officer (since June 2024). Throughout his career, he has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to growth and leadership. Mr. John's career began with Pfizer and then Guidant Corporation, where he honed his skills in both clinical and sales roles. He then transitioned to Medtronic and St. Jude Medical, progressively taking on leadership positions in areas like Cardiac Rhythm Management, Electrophysiology, and Heart Failure. This culminated in his roles as Divisional Vice President for both Abbott's Heart Failure and CRM (EMEA) businesses. Beyond his extensive track record, Mr. John is driven by a deep passion for improving the lives of Heart Failure patients. This dedication, combined with his extensive industry knowledge and strategic leadership skills, positions him perfectly to drive CVRx's revenue growth.  Mr. John received his BS from the University of North Texas and his MA from the University of Alabama. 

Tonya Austin has served as the Company’s Chief Human Resources Officer since July 2024. She has over 25 years of experience leading growth-oriented organizations in the design and delivery of global human capital strategies. Prior to joining the Company, Tonya was the Head of Human Resources at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She also served for ten years as the Chief Human Resources Officer for AtriCure Inc., a publicly held medical device company focused on the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Prior to that Tonya was the Director of Human Resources at Endo Pharmaceuticals, as well as the Vice President of Human Resources at Vital Images, a Toshiba Medical Systems Group Company. Earlier in her career she also worked at Parametric Technology Corporation and PricewatershouseCoopers in various human resources and recruitment roles. Tonya graduated from the College of St. Benedict’s.

Jennifer Englund has served as the Company’s Senior Vice President, Global Clinical Research since May 2024 and has over 25 years of experience in the medical device industry; with functional expertise in clinical, regulatory, market development, quality and R&D organizations. Prior to joining the Company, Jennifer was Senior Vice President of Scientific Affairs at Monteris Medical, where she was responsible for oversight of clinical, regulatory, research and product planning functions and served on the senior leadership team. Earlier in her career, Jennifer served as the Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Pops! Diabetes care, Mardil Medical, and Coloplast, and prior to that spent 9 years at Medtronic in market development and clinical research roles.

Bonnie Handke has served as the Company’s Senior Vice President of Patient Access, Reimbursement, and Healthcare Economics since May 2024. Prior to joining the Company, Bonnie garnered a wealth of experience from nearly 25 years at Medtronic, where she held pivotal roles including Vice President of Global Healthcare Economics, Policy, and Payment. Throughout her career, Bonnie has shown a remarkable ability to devise and implement global coverage and reimbursement strategies for a diverse range of cardiovascular and neuromodulation therapies. Her contributions have played a critical role in the success of medical devices globally, spanning from deep brain stimulation (DBS) to transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). With a proven record of navigating complex healthcare landscapes, Bonnie is dedicated to ensuring that innovative therapies like Barostim reach those in need, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes and transforming lives.

Jonelle Burnham began her legal career as a patent litigation attorney, first with the Twin Cities’ intellectual property firm of Merchant & Gould and then in-house with Kimberly-Clark Corporation. She has served in various roles advising business units, insights and research and development, sales forces, and boards of directors and specializes in life sciences companies, leading legal/compliance functions. Jonelle holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a J.D. from Marquette University.  

Mr. Hengsteler has over 25 years of management experience in sales & marketing functions in Germany and throughout Europe in the Medical Technology Field. Prior to joining CVRx®, he held various sales & marketing leadership roles in 3 international companies in the medical device sector (St. Jude Medical, Sorin Group and Boston Scientific) focusing on the field of Cardiac Rhythm Management (Pacemakers, ICDs and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy) and Electrophysiology (EP catheters and recording, 3D mapping and cryoablation). After graduating with a Diploma in physics from Ulm University, Germany, Mr. Hengsteler finished his education with a Dr. rer. nat. in physics at Ulm University, Germany.

Al is the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance at CVRx. He developed and implemented the quality system and was a key participant in all regulatory submission work at CVRx over the past 15+ years leading to European, FDA and Australian approvals for the quality system and devices. In addition, Al has participated in the MDIC and AdvaMed Case for Quality efforts for many years. Through this, CVRx has volunteered to pioneer new Case for Quality programs developed in conjunction with FDA to improve the quality of medical devices in general and the CVRx product line specifically, including pilots of FDA Critical to Quality assessments, maturity model assessments for the FDA Voluntary Improvement Program (VIP) and the Medical Device Information and Analysis Sharing (MDIAS) program of which he is an original Governing Committee member. Prior to CVRx, Al worked for Medtronic for more than 16 years in various divisions and management roles primarily in the areas of quality and reliability. Al has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Colorado.

Mr. Pignato has over 25 years of experience in the areas of medical device research, development, and operations. Prior to joining CVRx, he led product development and operations teams at Medtronic as well as at several start-up medical device companies. He is a named inventor on 78 patents worldwide, with 54 of those in the US. After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Chemical engineering, he earned an MBA from the University of St. Thomas as well as PMP certification.

Joseph Slattery has served as a director on the Board since October 2008. He previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Asensus Surgical, Inc., a medical device company, from October 2013 to December 2019. Mr. Slattery also served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Baxano Surgical, Inc., from April 2010 to September 2013. From February 1996 to August 2007, Mr. Slattery served in various roles of increasing responsibility at Digene Corporation, including as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance and Information Systems, from October 2006 to August 2007. Mr. Slattery serves on the boards of directors of Morphic Therapeutic, Inc. and Replimune Group, Inc., and he previously served on the boards of directors of Baxano Surgical, Inc., Exosome Diagnostics, Inc., Micromet, Inc., and Omega Alpha SPAC. Mr. Slattery received a B.S. in Accounting from Bentley University and is a certified public accountant.

Mudit K. Jain, Ph.D. has served as a director on the Board since July 2020. He has served as a Founding General Partner at Treo Ventures I, L.P. (formerly known as Strategic Healthcare Investment Partners) (“Treo”), a medical device-focused venture capital firm, since September 2018, and previously served as a Managing Director at Synergy Venture Partners, LLC, a medical technology venture capital investment firm, from April 2007 to September 2018. Dr. Jain has also served as the CEO and co-founder of NuXcel, a medical device accelerator, since 2018. Dr. Jain currently serves on the boards of directors of Avivomed, Inc., Neochord, Inc., Neuspera, Inc., Noctrix, Inc., NuXcel, One Heart Health, a non-profit organization, ShiraTronics, Inc., and iVEAcare, Inc., and he previously served on the board of directors of Inspire Medical Systems, Inc., Aptus Endosystems, Inc., and Impres Medical, Inc. Dr. Jain received a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India.

Kirk Nielsen has served as a director on the Board since July 2020. Mr. Nielsen has served as a Managing Partner at Vensana Capital, a medtech-focused investment firm, since January 2019 and as a Managing Director at Versant Ventures, a healthcare-focused venture capital firm, since January 2011. He currently serves on the board of directors of Inari Medical, Inc. and on several boards of directors for private companies, including: Alleviant Medical, Artelon Inc., Metavention, Inc., and Moxe Health Corporation, and previously served on the board of directors of Monteris Medical and SpyGlass Ophthalmics. Mr. Nielsen received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and an A.B. from Harvard College.

Martha Shadan has served as a director on the Board since July 2021. Ms. Shadan has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Miach Orthopaedics, a developer of bio-engineered surgical implants for connective tissue restoration, from January 2019 to June 2022. From January 2018 to December 2018, Ms. Shadan served as Global Vice President of Marketing at Smith & Nephew plc, a multinational medical equipment manufacturer, a role she assumed after the company acquired Rotation Medical, a medical device company focused on regenerative shoulder repair treatment, where she was President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Shadan led Rotation Medical through FDA approval and commercialization of the Rotation Medical Bioinductive Implant for rotator cuff tears (now known as REGENETEN), as well as the company’s acquisition by Smith & Nephew in December 2017. Prior to joining Rotation Medical in January 2013, Ms. Shadan served as President of the Trauma Division at Zimmer where she managed the P&L for the global business and Vice President/General Manager of Vascular Therapies and Vice President/General Manager of BioSurgery and Sports Surgery at Covidien, and she held various positions at Bristol Myers Squibb Co. and Merck Millipore. Ms. Shadan currently serves on the boards of directors of AdvaMed, a trade association, LeMaitre Vascular Inc., a medical device and human tissue cryopreservation company, and as Chair of the board of directors of BrilliantStrings Therapeutics. Ms. Shadan received an M.B.A. from Northeastern University, a Master of Science in Biology from Michigan State University and Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of New Hampshire.

Kevin Ballinger has served as a director on the Board since September 2024. From July 2020 to September 2023, Mr. Ballinger served as Chief Executive Officer of Aldevron, LLC, a privately held genomics company that was acquired by Danaher Corporation in August 2021. Prior to joining Aldevron, Mr. Ballinger spent 25 years at Boston Scientific Corporation. During his last nine years at Boston Scientific, Mr. Ballinger served as Executive Vice President and Global President of the Interventional Cardiology division. Mr. Ballinger serves on the board of directors of Silk Road Medical, Inc., and he previously served on the board of directors of Shockwave Medical, Inc., from June 2023 until its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in May 2024.  Mr. Ballinger earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University, and his M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

Mitch Hill has served as a director on the Board since September 2024. Mr. Hill currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Inari Medical, Inc., a position he has held since March 2019. From June 2018 to February 2019, Mr. Hill served as the Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the board of directors of Flow Lighting Technologies, Inc., a private company specializing in cloud-based software. From August 2017 to June 2018, Mr. Hill served as a member of the board of directors of LIVMOR, Inc., a private company focusing on digital health solutions for remote patient monitoring. From September 2015 to May 2018, Mr. Hill served as a member of the board of directors and audit committee of Ominto, Inc., a private company with global operations in the e-commerce, marketing and entertainment industries. From March 2013 to March 2015, Mr. Hill was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Alphaeon Corporation, a private company serving healthcare providers in the self-pay medical field. Prior to 2013, Mr. Hill served as Chief Financial Officer at a number of companies, including Cameron Health, Inc., Visiogen Inc., Insight Health Services Holdings Corp., BMS Reimbursement Management, Buy.com, Inc., Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Development Co. Mr. Hill received his B.S. in Business Accounting from Brigham Young University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Kevin Hykes has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer, since February 2024, and as a director on the Board, since December 2022. Mr. Hykes previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Augmedics, Inc., an augmented reality surgical navigation company, from December 2021 to February 2024. He has also served as a Venture Advisor to Vensana Capital, a medtech-focused investment firm, since November 2019. Mr. Hykes previously served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of each of Bardy Diagnostics, Inc., a remote cardiac monitoring and individual health services company, from August 2020 until its acquisition in June 2021, and Relievant, Inc., a provider of interventional treatment for chronic low back pain, from 2017 to January 2020. He also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Metavention Inc., a neuromodulation company, from 2013 to 2017, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cameron Health, Inc., a cardioverter-defibrillator medical device company from 2010 until its acquisition in 2013, and Chief Commercial Officer of Visiogen, Inc., a developer of products for cataract and refractive patients, from 2008 until its acquisition in 2010. Mr. Hykes served as an Operating Partner at Versant Ventures, a healthcare focused venture capital firm, from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Hykes currently serves on the board of directors of Metavention Inc. and previously served on the boards of directors of Bardy Diagnostics, Inc., Relievant, Inc., and Veran Medical Systems, Inc., an interventional pulmonology medical device company. Mr. Hykes received a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University.