LivaNova Announces Ahmet Tezel, Ph.D., as Chief Innovation Officer

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LivaNova PLC (Nasdaq: LIVN), a market-leading medical technology company, today announced Ahmet Tezel, Ph.D., will join the Company as Chief Innovation Officer (CINO), effective May 13, 2024. In this newly created position, Tezel will leverage his career of more than 20 years in research and development (R&D) to establish an integrated innovation function at LivaNova that will accelerate the Company’s development of new technologies. In this capacity, Tezel will join the LivaNova Executive Leadership Team.

“I am very pleased to welcome Ahmet to the LivaNova team. At LivaNova, our commitment to pioneering innovation remains unwavering, and Ahmet's arrival marks a significant step in advancing this vision. With a remarkable track record, Ahmet has led teams that have developed market-leading technologies across diverse medical domains, from bariatric surgery to surgical ophthalmology. As Chief Innovation Officer, Ahmet will advance LivaNova’s ability to create novel solutions and elevate the quality of care in neurological and cardiac health for patients around the world,” said Vladimir Makatsaria, Chief Executive Officer of LivaNova.

Tezel most recently served as Company Group Chairman at Johnson & Johnson MedTech, leading its Global R&D and Innovation teams. Throughout his career, he has held executive R&D roles at several healthcare companies, including Ethicon, Alcon Inc. and Allergan Inc., developing Class III implantables and complex capital equipment.

“I look forward to this new chapter at LivaNova, working with the team to harness their motivations and talents to drive innovative product development that creates long-term value for the Company and aligns with its mission,” said Tezel. “I am honored to join a company that has a profound impact on patients.”

Tezel earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in chemical engineering from Bogazici University in Türkiye and a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of California-Santa Barbara, where he focused on transdermal drug delivery.

About LivaNova

LivaNova PLC is a global medical technology company built on nearly five decades of experience and a relentless commitment to provide hope for patients and their families through medical technologies, delivering life-changing improvements for both the Head and Heart. Headquartered in London, LivaNova employs approximately 2,900 employees and has a presence in more than 100 countries for the benefit of patients, healthcare professionals and healthcare systems worldwide. For more information, please visit www.livanova.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains “forward-looking statements” concerning the Company’s goals, beliefs, expectations, strategies, objectives, plans, underlying assumptions and other statements that are not necessarily based on historical facts. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the executive leadership of the Company. Actual events may differ materially from those indicated in our forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those factors set forth in Item 1A of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as supplemented by any risk factors contained in Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. LivaNova undertakes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.