Healthcare Industry News: WaveLight
News Release - December 5, 2007
WaveLight's VP of Sales to Oversee Marketing
Blake Michaels to Provide Combined Sales and Marketing Focus for the U.S.STERLING, Va.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--WaveLight, Inc. (FWB:WLT) announced today that Blake Michaels has assumed all strategic marketing responsibilities for the U.S. market. Michaels first joined WaveLight in December 2005 as Vice President of Sales. In his new role as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Michaels will continue to oversee WaveLight’s domestic sales force while developing customer-directed marketing campaigns and educational programs.
“Michaels has been an integral part of our executive team for the past two years and his leadership has contributed to WaveLight’s ability to increase domestic sales by 52 percent in US dollars within the past fiscal year,” said Wolfgang Tolle, CEO of WaveLight, Inc. “I am confident that Michaels’ influence in both sales and marketing will further expand our customer-centric focus.”
Michaels replaces the former Vice President of Marketing, Luca Sergio, who served WaveLight since September 2005 and will now lend his talents to other areas of ophthalmology. As part of WaveLight’s executive management team, Michaels helped to build and establish the U.S. sales force and achieved increased awareness of the ALLGRETTO WAVE® platform within the ophthalmic community. Michaels also was instrumental in the U.S. launch of the next generation 400 hertz Eye-Q laser.
Michaels’ career has spanned 25 years in the ophthalmic device industry. Prior to joining WaveLight, Michaels was the Director of Marketing for the U.S. Cataract Division of Bausch & Lomb based in Southern California where he led commercial efforts on multiple product lines, including IOLs, viscoelastics, and phacoemulsification equipment. Additionally, he launched SofPort AO (an advanced optic IOL line) and the Easy-Load “no-touch” delivery device. Before joining Bausch & Lomb, Michaels was part of the original Autonomous Technologies team that was acquired by Summit and later Alcon Laboratories. There, he was instrumental in launching the LADARVision System when Autonomous was still an independent company. Prior to this, Michaels served for nine and a half years with Storz Ophthalmics in several positions in the commercial group.
“I am honored to take on the additional role of marketing for the U.S. market,” Michaels commented. “WaveLight’s refractive laser systems have changed the way in which ophthalmologists perform LASIK surgery and continue to be the most advanced platforms available today. I am eager to impact our current and prospective customers as well as our sales force through integrated sales and marketing campaigns.”
Michaels received his Bachelor’s Degree in biology from Colgate University in Hamilton, NY and later earned an MBA in marketing management from The City University of New York.
WaveLight AG has been listed on Deutsch Börse AG’s Prime Standard segment since January 2003: The company, which develops, manufactures and markets a full range of high-quality products for ophthalmology, specializes in vision optics. The market success of WaveLight is based on a dense sales network comprised of WaveLight’s own sales channels as well as the sales channels of strategic partners.
Further information on WaveLight is available at: www.WaveLight.com
All information is given and all assessments are made on the basis of extremely conscientious research. However, no guarantee is given with regard to the information or assessments published. No liability whatsoever is accepted. The above statements do not represent an invitation to buy or sell securities. All rights reserved.
Source: WaveLight
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