Richard Meelia has joined Apollo Endosurgery as a member the board of directors. He occupies a newly created seat on the board. Meelia is the former chairman and CEO of Covidien plc, from where he recently retired.

Austin, Texas-based Apollo is a medical device company focused on endoscopy, and aims to enable a new generation of endoscopic procedures. This field should be familiar to Meelia. Covidien produces devices in a range of markets, including endoscopy.

"Apollo Endosurgery has the potential to lead a fundamental change in patient care in gastrointestinal surgery, including the important areas of gastrointestinal cancer and bariatrics," Meelia said. "The company is at the forefront of endoscopic surgery, a field that combines the therapeutic benefits of surgery with the minimally invasive advantages of flexible endoscopy. By aligning itself with the top international experts in the field of minimally invasive surgery and medical devices, Apollo Endosurgery will continue to enable surgeons and gastroenterologists to offer less invasive treatment options and excellent patient care."

Meelia led Covidien's spinoff from Tyco in 2007 where he had served as president of Tyco Healthcare since 1995. During his tenure at Tyco and Covidien, Meelia directed the company's integration and product development efforts, growing the business from $600 million in sales to over $10 billion by 2010. Prior to joining Tyco Healthcare, Meelia was president of Infusaid Inc., a division of Pfizer Hospital Products Group. He also held sales and marketing positions with the Pharmaseal and McGaw divisions of the American Hospital Supply Corporation. Meelia holds an MBA from Boston College and bachelor’s degree from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., where he is on the board of trustees.

Meelia also serves as a member of the board at Triangle Inc., a career empowerment network for people with disabilities as well as chairman of the board of Haeomonetics, a company that develops processes to help hospitals and blood banks efficiently and safely manage blood supplies. He is on the board of governors of the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, Mass.

"We are pleased to leverage Rich's years of experience as the chairman and CEO of one of the world's largest surgical supplies and medical device makers,” said Apollo Endosurgery founder Dennis L. McWilliams. “Rich has a valuable track record of leadership in company growth and a deep knowledge of the medical device, hospital and surgical supply industries.” McWilliams serves on the board alongside Meelia.

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