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Question: Where were you before MedX?
I have 28 years of leadership developing sustainable, trusted relationships with key opinion leaders, strategic partners and industry influencers. Before joining MedX I was Vice President and General Manager of Laerdal Medical Canada Ltd. with full P&L responsibility to open and build the organization in Canada. Annual revenues increased 16 fold under my tenure. I have international experience, and served as VP of Sales in Laerdal’s New York office for 3.5 years, reorganizing and increasing the sales force by 60% and growing revenues by 35%. I also opened and built the Latin American organization, growing the business 7 fold in 6 years.
Question: What have you learned about MedX that surprised you?
I have held executive positions in the medical device sector in North and South America for most of my career. I was very impressed by the depth of MedX’s technology and the significant opportunity it provides in two significant market segments; tissue repair and pain management with the therapeutic laser, and skin cancer detection with the SIAscope. We are leveraging the technologies by building strong relationships with large distributors and partners in key global markets where we believe it will contribute to important growth in revenue.
Question: You joined MedX in April, 2018, what are your priorities and goals as President of MedX?
Answer: My primary goal is to measurably increase revenues in our SIAscopy (skin cancer detection technology) and Laser divisions, which will help us build market share and increase shareholder value. For the Laser division we are expanding our distribution network for both the therapeutic (e.g. chiropractic, physiotherapy) and dental markets. Our SIAscopy Telemedicine pilot project is under way in 6 sites in Ontario, which is a game-changer for MedX. We are not only a medical device manufacturer, but also a software technology developer. We are building relationships with much larger, brand-name distributors, which we expect will help accelerate sales.
Question: How will you measure and report progress?
You have seen earlier that my experience is in building organizations and processes that will grow sales. It is imperative, for example, to get the right team in place, internally and externally, that can initiate customer contacts and leads and close sales. The CRM system we have in place will help us track this growth. In the case of our Telemedicine platform, working with strategic partners has a longer sales process but will lead to the most growth, while in the Laser business, results can be more immediate with focussed marketing. You will see this in our press releases and quarterlies. But we also plan to raise our profile by launching a quarterly Laser division newsletter in the fall, which we will distribute electronically and post on our web site, which is in the process of being updated. We will continue to use social media and will target more traditional, mainstream media, including BNN Bloomberg, The Globe and Mail, and the National Post, as well as industry sector media.
Question: What are your expectations for MedX’s technology development over the next 6-12 months?
We are working with Blanc Labs, a Toronto-based innovation consulting firm that builds the next generation of digital solutions, to ensure that our technology is state-of-the-art. Release 2 of our Telemedicine platform is presently under development and the trials will be completed by the end of September, at which point we will roll it out to a broader market. As well, improvements on the SIAscope itself are in development with significantly improved images expected in early 2019.
Question: What role will your Scientific and Medical Advisory Board play in the future?
We have built a very strong group of advisors to assist us with the rollout of our SIAscopy Telemedicine platform, and they are currently very active and adding value in a number of ways. Some, with a long history and deep understanding of the technology and its use, and others with a focus on the future importance of imaging and how it can be best used in the clinic and in practice to benefit the greatest number of patients, efficiently and effectively. We are attracting prominent dermatologists from around the world as they become more aware of the technology. The reviews of our technology by this esteemed group reinforces our confidence that we are on the right track.
Question: Why do you think MedX is a good investment?
We are a Canadian company with two innovative technologies that improve patients’ medical outcomes. Once we commence the initial Canadian rollout of our SIAscopy Telemedicine platform in Q4, and build on the relationships we have been developing in many international markets, we will continue to see revenue growth globally, that will lead us towards profitability; many factors which investors see as attractive.