Augmedics has recently appointed Paul Ziegler as its new CEO and president. In light of this leadership change, Gwen Watanabe is set to shift from her interim CEO role to serve as vice chair on the board. Watanabe served in the interim CEO capacity following Kevin Hykes’ departure, who assumed the CEO role at CVRx at the start of 2024.
“We deeply appreciate Gwen’s remarkable lead during what promises to be an exceptional year,” commented Rick Anderson, chairman of Augmedics’ board. “In Paul, we have found a vigorous leader full of energy and the necessary attributes to propel Augmedics as we enhance our cutting-edge AR surgical navigation solutions.”
Ziegler joins the Chicago-based firm equipped with two decades of expertise in medical devices. His experience showcases a successful history in commercial and operational sectors while scaling rapidly growing firms, as stated in a press announcement.
Augmedics conveyed that Ziegler steps into his leadership role as the company embarks on a fresh phase of commercial expansion. The organization is behind the Xvision Spine System, which integrates augmented reality to provide surgeons with an “X-ray vision” capability during operations. March witnessed the release of new FDA-approved features and indications for the system, and just last month, the company celebrated FDA approval for the CT-to-fluoroscopy (CT-Fluoro) registration technique for Xvision.
“I am overjoyed to become part of the Augmedics team and to contribute to their groundwork as the preeminent spine-focused AR platform globally,” expressed Ziegler. “I’m eager and privileged to lead the company through this subsequent stage of expansion as we leverage the transformative potential of Xvision to enhance spine surgery’s safety, simplicity, and consistency.”