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.
  • Erika

    Erika Ross Ellison, PhD

    VP of Clinical, Regulatory & Quality

    Erika Ross Ellison 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.
  • Julien Camisani

    Julien Camisani

    Vice President, Engineering

    Julien Camisani brings more than twenty years of experience, fifteen of which are in the life sciences industry, where he has been instrumental in inventing, developing, marketing, and sustaining advanced laboratory, medical and bio-manufacturing technologies. Prior to joining ONWARD® Medical, Julien led diverse and global teams, and managed large-scale projects with proven leadership across research and development, manufacturing, intellectual property and product management for companies like Cytiva, GE Healthcare and Biosafe. He holds dual master’s degrees in Embedded Systems from the University of Lugano, collaborating with ETH Zurich and Politecnico di Milano, complemented by an MBA from the University of Cumbria and a professional certificate in Technology Road mapping and Strategic Innovation from MIT.
  • Bob Odell

    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.

  • Amori Fraser

    Amori Fraser

    Finance Director

    Amori Fraser serves as the Finance Director at ONWARD Medical, leveraging over 18 years of experience in both finance and auditing. Prior to her current role, she worked as a Senior Manager at EY, specializing in financial reporting, regulatory compliance, financial analysis and internal controls serving multi-national listed groups. Amori's experience in auditing and finance enables her to drive efficient financial operations and support the company’s growth initiatives. Amori holds a BComHons degree in Accounting Sciences from the University of Pretoria and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA) with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA).

  • Alexandre Casteau

    Alexandre Casteau

    Head of Strategy & Corporate Development

    Alexandre Casteau brings extensive healthcare corporate strategy expertise. A former management consultant with McKinsey & Company, Alexandre spent several years advising global life science businesses on growth strategy and large-scale transformations. He also launched and led the McKinsey Switzerland startup/scaleup service line, providing a differentiated strategy consulting offering to help early-stage, fast-growing companies scale. Earlier in his career, Alexandre held a variety of roles at Endeavor, Rocket Internet SE and Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and an MSc. from MIT.
  • Julie Crom

    Julie Crom

    Director, People & Culture

    Julie Crom has more than 10 years of experience in Human Resources in the medical devices industry. Prior to joining ONWARD Medical, Julie served as Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice Lead at Michael Page, a leading recruitment company in Europe. In her role, she supported middle-to-large medical device companies in recruitment and organizational strategy. Julie holds an MSc in International Business Management from INSEEC business school.
  • Lorenzo Fanti

    Lorenzo Fanti

    Vice President, Legal

    Lorenzo Fanti is a dual-qualified US and English attorney with nearly 15 years of experience specializing in pharmaceuticals and medtech. Prior to joining ONWARD Medical, Lorenzo served as worldwide Legal Head, Ophthalmology ad interim at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and, prior to that, he was Country Legal Head for Chile ad interim for the Novartis group of companies. He has held various roles with increasing responsibility at Novartis, including in the Neuroscience franchise, where he contributed to the launch of innovative migraine treatments. Early in his career, he was a Trademark Paralegal with Sandoz, and he trained with Allen & Overy LLP in London. He holds an LL.B. from the University of Wales.

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
  • Rob ten Hoedt

    Rob ten Hoedt

    Incoming Board Chair and Non-Executive Director

  • 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 Medical since 2019. Ian is a director of SCI Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in companies focused on treatments for paralysis. He is a member of the board of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and the International Spinal Research Trust. Ian is also the chairman of HPC plc, a UK-based engineering company. He is a graduate of Durham University, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and a former partner with PwC.
    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

    Non-Executive Director

    Prof. Grégoire Courtine is the co-founder of ONWARD Medical and 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 the faculty of Medicine of the University of Pavia, Italy.
  • Rahma Samow

    Rahma Samow

    Non-Executive Director

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