Management Team

  • Dave Marver, CEO

    Dave Marver

    Chief Executive Officer

    Dave Marver joined ONWARD in July 2020. An accomplished chief executive and director with more than 25 years of international experience in public, private, and emerging companies, he combines expertise in medical and consumer technology, wearables, and health monitoring. Previously, Dave spent almost 15 years with Medtronic in a variety of leadership positions in the US and Europe, including Vice President roles in Sales, Marketing, Strategy, and Business Development. He then joined NASDAQ-listed Cardiac Science Corporation as CEO, before co-founding two start-ups. He holds a BA in Psychology from Duke University and an MBA from University of California Los Angeles.
  • John Murphy, PhD, CTO

    John Murphy, PhD

    Chief Technology Officer

    John Murphy has over 25 years of experience driving the development of medical implants and neurostimulation devices at LivaNova, Abbott, and Medtronic. His leadership expertise spans the continuum of R&D, with a focus on consumer-centric design, IP generation, and agile processes. Prior to joining ONWARD in 2020, John was the Chief Technology Officer of LivaNova Neuromodulation. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a PhD in Production Systems and Robotics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL).
  • Khaled Bahi

    Khaled Bahi

    Interim Chief Financial Officer

    Khaled Bahi is the former CFO of Symetis, which was acquired by Boston Scientific in 2017 for $435M. He has over 20 years of medtech experience in a variety of finance leadership positions, including as the former CFO of Stilla Technologies in France and as a former finance leader for Fresenius Medical Care in France, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Khaled earned an MSc from ETH Zürich.

  • Erika

    Erika Ross, PhD

    Vice President, Global Clinical & Regulatory

    Erika Ross brings extensive expertise in neuromodulation, with experience in clinical trial design and execution for class II and III neurostimulation technologies.  She joins ONWARD from Abbott Neuromodulation, where she was Director, Global Clinical & Applied Research. Previously, as Neuroscience Director at Cala Health, she managed the scientific research program that led to de novo clearance and launch of the company’s neurostimulation technology. She also brings outstanding relationships with researchers and clinicians, forged during her years as Deputy Director, Medical Device Innovation Accelerator, Department of Surgery, and Assistant Professor, Department of Neurologic Surgery at Mayo Clinic. Erika holds a BSc in Biology and Business and an MSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Denver and a PhD in Neuroscience from Mayo Clinic.
  • Sarah

    Sarah Moore

    Vice President, Global Marketing

    Sarah Moore has over 20 years of healthcare marketing, sales, and business development experience, including strategy, product planning, and M&A. Before joining ONWARD, Sarah was Head of Commercial Marketing at Nevro, an implantable neuromodulation company. Prior to that, she held various leadership roles in global marketing across multiple Johnson & Johnson medical device franchises, most recently as the business unit leader for J&J’s Advanced Imaging business. Sarah earned an MBA from Duke University and a BA in German from Washington and Lee University.

  • Bob

    Bob Odell

    Vice President, Operations

    Bob Odell brings to ONWARD decades of leadership experience in the medical device industry. Prior to joining ONWARD, Bob was President and Chief Operating Officer of Cardiac Insight, Inc., a successful startup that introduced disruptive technology to the global marketplace. Prior to Cardiac Insight, he served as COO for Cardiac Science, a publicly traded manufacturer of Class II and Class III devices. Bob has held executive assignments in Operations, Engineering, Marketing, Business Development. Information Technology and General Management with such notables as GE Healthcare, Siemens Medical Solutions, Philips Medical Systems, Medtronic, and Analogic. The foundation for his career is a degree in electrical and computer engineering from Syracuse University.

Board Members

  • Executive Chair

    Jan Ohrstrom

    Board Chair

    Jan Ohrstrom is Chair of the Board and Non-Executive Director of ONWARD since 2016. He has over 30 years of experience in the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries, and has a proven track record driving successful product approvals, private financings, and IPOs. Jan has held senior management roles at NovoNordisk, ProFibrix BV and ZymoGenetics, among others. He is currently CEO of VarmX BV, a company specializing in blood clotting agents, and is chairman of Blaze Bioscience Inc. Jan holds an MD from the University of Copenhagen.
    Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
    Chair of the Compensation Committee
  • John de Koning LSP

    John de Koning

    Non-Executive Director

    John de Koning is a Non-Executive Director of ONWARD since 2016. He is a General Partner at EQT Life Sciences, one of the largest European investment firms providing financing for life sciences and health care companies. Since joining EQT Life Sciences (formerly LSP) in 2006, John has led some of its most successful investments and served on the board of several companies, including argenx, Merus, and Prosensa. John holds an MS in Molecular Biology from the University of Utrecht and a PhD in Oncology from the Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    Member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
  • Kristina Dziekan

    Kristina Dziekan

    Non-Executive Director

    Kristina Dziekan is a Non-Executive Director of ONWARD since 2022. She is Head of Market Access, Government Affairs and Tendering for Alcon’s Surgical Division in Europe. Prior to her experience at Alcon, she served as Senior Global Reimbursement and Health Economics Director for Medtronic Neuromodulation and Health Outcomes Manager for GlaxoSmithKline in the UK and parts of Asia. Ms. Dziekan has an MSc in Health Policy, Planning, and Financing from the London School of Economics, an MA in International Economics and European Studies from Johns Hopkins University, a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University and a Vordiplom in Business Administration and Economics from Georg August University.
  • Ian Curtis

    Ian Curtis

    Non-Executive Director

    Ian Curtis is a Non-Executive Director of ONWARD since 2019. As the father of a young woman living with SCI, Ian is passionate about advancing research and treatment for SCI. He is a member of the board of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the International Spinal Research Trust, and the Neurokinex Charitable Trust, which operates activity-based rehabilitation clinics in the UK. Ian holds a BA in History from Durham University and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
    Chair of the Audit Committee
  • Fred Colen

    Fred Colen

    Non-Executive Director

    Fred Colen is a Non-Executive Director of ONWARD since 2017. With over 40 years of experience in the medical device industry, Fred has a track record in building strong organizations to bring new technology to market. Fred is President and CEO of Neovasc Inc., a Canadian publicly traded company developing products for the cardiovascular marketplace. Previously, he held senior executive roles at Boston Scientific and St Jude Medical. He holds Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and Medical Technology from RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
    Member of the Compensation Committee
    Member of the Audit Committee
  • Vivian

    Vivian Riefberg

    Non-Executive Director

    Vivian Riefberg is a Non-Executive Director of ONWARD since 2022. She was formerly a senior partner with McKinsey & Company, where she led the Public Sector Practice for the Americas and was co-leader of the U.S. Health Care practice. Vivian is a Professor at University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. She previously served on the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center Board of Governors and on the NIH Advisory Board for Clinical Research. Vivian currently serves on the boards of Signify Health, K Health, Lightrock and Johns Hopkins Medicine. She holds a B.A., magna cum laude in history from Harvard-Radcliffe College and an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School.
  • Dave Marver, CEO

    Dave Marver

    Chief Executive Officer

    Dave Marver joined ONWARD in July 2020. An accomplished chief executive and director with more than 25 years of international experience in public, private, and emerging companies, he combines expertise in medical and consumer technology, wearables, and health monitoring. Previously, Dave spent almost 15 years with Medtronic in a variety of leadership positions in the US and Europe, including Vice President roles in Sales, Marketing, Strategy, and Business Development. He then joined NASDAQ-listed Cardiac Science Corporation as CEO, before co-founding two start-ups. He holds a BA in Psychology from Duke University and an MBA from University of California Los Angeles.
  • Grégoire Courtine, PhD, CSO

    Grégoire Courtine, PhD

    Chief Scientific Officer

    Prof. Grégoire Courtine is the co-founder of ONWARD and its Chief Scientific Officer as well as a Non-Executive Director. His ground-breaking research in neuroscience has been recognized by several prestigious prizes, including the Rolex Award, the Schellenberg Research Prize and the Chancellor’s Award of the University of California. Grégoire is a full professor of neuroscience and neurotechnology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and Director of NeuroRestore, a research center at EPFL and the University Hospital of Lausanne that develops innovative therapies using neurostimulation and other approaches. He holds a PhD in Neurosciences from INSERM, Paris, and a PhD in Medicine from the University of Pavia, Italy.

Corporate Governance Overview

The Board of Directors of ONWARD Medical (the "Company") sets high standards for the Company's employees, officers and directors. Implicit in this philosophy is the importance of sound corporate governance. It is the duty of the Board of Directors to serve as a prudent fiduciary for shareholders and to oversee the management of the Company's business. To fulfill its responsibilities and to discharge its duty, the Board of Directors follows the procedures and standards that are set forth in these guidelines. These guidelines are subject to modification from time to time as the Board of Directors deems appropriate in the best interests of the Company or as required by applicable laws and regulations. They are effective as of first day of trading.

Governance Documents

Committee Charters