Axogen Appoints General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer

Axogen Inc., a global leader in developing and marketing surgical solutions for damage or discontinuity to peripheral nerves, has appointed Brad Ottinger as general counsel and chief compliance officer. He is a proven executive with more than 25 years of experience in legal, compliance, and HR/administrative functions of both public companies and private firms. Ottinger has extensive experience in the medical device industry and holds professional certifications in corporate compliance and ethics. He will assume the duties of Greg Freitag, who retired from his position as general counsel. Freitag will continue as a member of the company’s Board of Directors and assume the role of special counsel during a transition period expected through October 2020.
 
“Greg has been instrumental in Axogen’s success and we thank him for helping to build the company into the industry leader we are today,” said Karen Zaderej, chairman, CEO, and president of Axogen. “As CEO of our reverse merger partner LecTech, Greg joined Axogen’s executive team in 2011 and his leadership, informed insights, and positive attitude have had a meaningful impact on our operations ever since. I am thankful we will continue to benefit from his thoughtful counsel as he remains a valued member of our board of directors.”
 
Ottinger’s reports directly to Zaderej and be responsible for all legal and compliance activities for Axogen.
 
“We are excited to welcome Brad to our executive team, his knowledge of corporate compliance and experience leading med tech legal teams will be valuable as we continue to grow both our business and the nerve repair market,” commented Zaderej. “Brad’s skills will be a great complement and addition to the breadth of knowledge and experience within our leadership team.”
 
Prior to joining Axogen, Ottinger served as vice president, general counsel, chief administrative officer and secretary of MicroPort Orthopedics Inc., a manufacturer of total hip and knee implants. He had previously served as vice president of Legal, Compliance and Human Resources at MicroPort. Before joining MicroPort, he was associate general counsel for Buckeye Technologies Inc. While at Buckeye Technologies, Ottinger provided a span of legal services with a primary focus on corporate transactions. Prior to joining Buckeye Technologies, Ottinger’s private practice included extensive work in business/corporate services and ethics and compliance for international and domestic clients.

Ottinger earned a J.D. from Washington University in St. Louis, an M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts from the Pennsylvania State University. 
 
“I look forward to joining the highly regarded team at Axogen,” said Ottinger. “I am impressed with the drive and passion of the people I’ve met there and look forward to contributing to achieving the company’s mission to improve quality of life for patients with peripheral nerve injuries.”