Business Wire07.07.17
SpineGuard, a company that develops and markets disposable medical devices designed to make spine surgery safer, announced:
Unaudited
Global revenue in the second quarter of 2017 increased 8 percent on a reported basis and 6 percent at constant exchange rate (cc). In the first half, global revenue increased 16 percent (13 percent cc) to €4,199k, compared with €3,633k in the first half of 2016.
In the first half of 2017, 4,264 DSG units were sold compared with 4,351 in the first half of 2016, including 2,589 (61 percent) in the United States, where revenue grew 19 percent (15 percent cc) to €3,397k in the first half of 2017 compared with €2,866k in the same period last year.
Appointment of Stéphane Bette, Co-Founder, as CEO
The Board of Directors has appointed Stéphane Bette, its US General Manager, CTO and co-Founder, as CEO of SpineGuard SA in succession of Pierre Jérôme, who continues to serve as a Board Director of the company.
Stéphane brings more than 20 years of experience in the spinal industry to the role. He co-founded the company and has led the US operations since 2009 while also retaining his role as Chief Technology Officer during this period. Prior to this, Stéphane spent 10 years at SpineVision, a private spine company, in a number of roles, ending as US General Manager. He started his career at Sofamor Danek in the 1990’s, prior to its acquisition by Medtronic. Stéphane received a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from ENSAM, France, and a Postgraduate Degree in Biomechanics from LBM in Paris, France.
“The Board is very pleased to appoint Stéphane as CEO to lead the company through its next stage of growth,” said Alan Olsen, Chairman. “He has led the company’s increasingly important US operations since 2009 as well as overseen the development of SpineGuard’s core DSG technology platform. He is a natural successor to his co-Founder Pierre Jérôme, whom we warmly thank for his leadership of the company over the past 8 years. Under Pierre’s stewardship, SpineGuard has grown from a one-product company with €1 million in sales, through multiple fund-raising rounds, including an IPO in 2013, to the strong position it is in today. We are very pleased to have Pierre continue his association with the company in his role as Director with a particular focus on strategic and business development initiatives.”
“SpineGuard is a high-performing company with a cohesive team and a unique technology in DSG,” Stéphane Bette commented. “We delivered double-digit growth this first half of the year in a context where we are preparing for the US launch of our smart DSG screw. I look forward to intensifying SpineGuard’s focus on leveraging our core DSG platform through additional deals in spine and other musculoskeletal segments while continuing to grow our organic sales, capitalizing on our strong commercial, marketing and clinical foundations and rebalancing the organization. In order to reach financial freedom, we have set a specific goal that SpineGuard reaches breakeven by the end of 2018 and then profitability.”
Pierre Jérôme concluded: “After driving SpineGuard with close support from Stéphane since its inception, I am particularly glad to hand over the baton to him now—when momentum is building for the company with sustained growth, promising perspectives in China and the further deployment of our DSG technology platform in spine and dental through our partnership strategy. This smooth transition will provide continuity for our employees, customers and partners.”
Business Focus for 2017 and 2018
To reach breakeven by the end of 2018, SpineGuard will concentrate its efforts on:
- First-half global revenue growth of 16 percent (13 percent cc) to €4.2M, compared with €3.6M in the first half of 2016;
- The appointment of Stéphane Bette, co-Founder, CTO and US General Manager, as CEO of the company effective on July 13th; Pierre Jérôme, who has served as CEO since the company’s founding, will continue to serve as Board Director of the company;
- The implementation of a profitability plan to reach monthly breakeven by the end of 2018.
Unaudited
Global revenue in the second quarter of 2017 increased 8 percent on a reported basis and 6 percent at constant exchange rate (cc). In the first half, global revenue increased 16 percent (13 percent cc) to €4,199k, compared with €3,633k in the first half of 2016.
In the first half of 2017, 4,264 DSG units were sold compared with 4,351 in the first half of 2016, including 2,589 (61 percent) in the United States, where revenue grew 19 percent (15 percent cc) to €3,397k in the first half of 2017 compared with €2,866k in the same period last year.
Appointment of Stéphane Bette, Co-Founder, as CEO
The Board of Directors has appointed Stéphane Bette, its US General Manager, CTO and co-Founder, as CEO of SpineGuard SA in succession of Pierre Jérôme, who continues to serve as a Board Director of the company.
Stéphane brings more than 20 years of experience in the spinal industry to the role. He co-founded the company and has led the US operations since 2009 while also retaining his role as Chief Technology Officer during this period. Prior to this, Stéphane spent 10 years at SpineVision, a private spine company, in a number of roles, ending as US General Manager. He started his career at Sofamor Danek in the 1990’s, prior to its acquisition by Medtronic. Stéphane received a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from ENSAM, France, and a Postgraduate Degree in Biomechanics from LBM in Paris, France.
“The Board is very pleased to appoint Stéphane as CEO to lead the company through its next stage of growth,” said Alan Olsen, Chairman. “He has led the company’s increasingly important US operations since 2009 as well as overseen the development of SpineGuard’s core DSG technology platform. He is a natural successor to his co-Founder Pierre Jérôme, whom we warmly thank for his leadership of the company over the past 8 years. Under Pierre’s stewardship, SpineGuard has grown from a one-product company with €1 million in sales, through multiple fund-raising rounds, including an IPO in 2013, to the strong position it is in today. We are very pleased to have Pierre continue his association with the company in his role as Director with a particular focus on strategic and business development initiatives.”
“SpineGuard is a high-performing company with a cohesive team and a unique technology in DSG,” Stéphane Bette commented. “We delivered double-digit growth this first half of the year in a context where we are preparing for the US launch of our smart DSG screw. I look forward to intensifying SpineGuard’s focus on leveraging our core DSG platform through additional deals in spine and other musculoskeletal segments while continuing to grow our organic sales, capitalizing on our strong commercial, marketing and clinical foundations and rebalancing the organization. In order to reach financial freedom, we have set a specific goal that SpineGuard reaches breakeven by the end of 2018 and then profitability.”
Pierre Jérôme concluded: “After driving SpineGuard with close support from Stéphane since its inception, I am particularly glad to hand over the baton to him now—when momentum is building for the company with sustained growth, promising perspectives in China and the further deployment of our DSG technology platform in spine and dental through our partnership strategy. This smooth transition will provide continuity for our employees, customers and partners.”
Business Focus for 2017 and 2018
To reach breakeven by the end of 2018, SpineGuard will concentrate its efforts on:
- Signing new industry partnerships for expanded commercial applications of its proprietary digital DSG technology within the spinal and broader musculoskeletal sector to trigger new sources of revenue;
- Growing its worldwide sales with a primary commercial focus on the U.S. market which accounts for close to 80 percent of revenues;
- Implementing a profitability plan to right size its organization, capitalizing on its strengths and leveraging its cutting-edge proprietary DSG platform.