Hullihen out, von Jako in as Polarean CEO

Medical imaging technology developer Polarean Imaging announced the appointment of Christopher von Jako as its new chief executive officer and director on Wednesday, effective immediately.

The AIM-traded firm said Dr von Jako would succeed Richard Hullihen, who was retiring from the company and stepping down as a director, also with immediate effect.

Hullihen would, however, provide transitional support to Polarean for the next six months.

The Polarean board said Dr von Jako had an impressive background in global healthcare leadership spanning three decades, having held executive positions in both private and publicly-listed companies.

He most recently served as the president and CEO of BrainsWay, a global provider of advanced non-invasive neurostimulation treatments for mental health disorders.

During his tenure at BrainsWay from 2020 to 2023, Dr von Jako successfully launched five products, secured numerous reimbursement coverages, and executed a significant equity investment, which raised more than $45m from US medical technology investors.

Prior to his role at BrainsWay, Dr von Jako held the position of CEO at Dynatronics, a medical device company specialising in restorative products for health, from 2018 to 2019.

During that time, he developed a growth strategy focused on driving sales, business development, and proactive investor relations.

Before joining Dynatronics, he served as president and CEO of NinePoint Medical, a medical imaging company.

His successful leadership resulted in a substantial strategic investment and long-term partnership with Merit Medical Systems.

He also held the position of president and CEO at NeuroTherm, a pain management business, until its acquisition by St. Jude Medical Corporation.

Earlier in his career, Dr von Jako held senior executive roles at leading medical device companies such as Integra LifeSciences, Covidien, Medtronic, and Radionics.

In addition to his role at Polarean, Dr von Jako would continue to serve as an independent director on the board of nView medical - a privately held med-tech imaging company that uses advanced artificial intelligence solutions to generate real-time 3D images for surgical procedures.

He holds a double BS degree from Bates College, an MS degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Ph.D degree from the University of Pécs Medical School.

“Richard has played a pivotal role in getting Polarean to the position it is in today, with ‘XENOVIEW’ approved for use by the FDA with MRI for the evaluation of lung ventilation in adults and paediatric patients aged 12 years and older, and our commercialisation plan underway,” said chairman Kenneth West.

“I would also like to welcome Chris to Polarean.

“His extensive experience in leading commercial-stage med-tech companies, and his training and expertise in radiology will be an excellent fit for Polarean as we continue our dual strategy of achieving commercial sales of XENOVIEW and establishing strategic industry collaborations to accelerate growth in the US and internationally.”

At 1628 BST, shares in Polarean Imaging were down 6.96% at 26.75p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.