MAKO co-founder to lead Israeli medical tech company

Dr. Maurice R. Ferré, former chairman and CEO of MAKO Surgical, will lead the Israeli medical technology company INSIGHTEC.

Ferré, who had been serving as INSIGHTEC's chairman, will become CEO. Dr. Kobi Vortman, INSIGHTEC's founder former CEO, will be taking a seat on the board and will continue to drive strategy. INSIGHTEC, based in Haifa, Israel, also announced that it secured a $22 million investment led by its current shareholders.

INSIGHTEC, founded in 1999, has developed a non-invasive therapy platform that transforms medicine in an expanding number of neurosurgery, oncology and gynecology indications. It created an image-guided alternative for deep brain procedures such as thalamotomy and pallidotomy for essential tremor, tremor dominant Parkinson’s disease and neuropathic pain.

Ferré co-founded MAKO, a transformational robotic surgical company, in 2004. The company went public in 2008 and recently sold to Stryker Corp. for $1.65 billion in 2013. “I am very excited to be part of a company which is transforming medical practices as we know today. INSIGHTEC is at the forefront of the global shift towards non-invasive procedures. These procedures have the potential to improve patient outcomes, reduce morbidity and trauma while reducing costs,” he said. “My goal is to lead the company on its path to commercial success.”

Ferré, who is also on the boards of the Everglades Foundation and Endeavor Miami, will set up an office and work from Miami, he said. INSIGHTEC is privately held by GE Healthcare, Elbit Imaging, York Capital Management, GEOC Hengtong Investment Limited Partnership and MediTech Advisors.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 12:22 PM with the headline "MAKO co-founder to lead Israeli medical tech company."