Former Inogen CEO Joins Sommetrics Board of Directors

Sommetrics, a company providing products and services to improve sleep quality, has added Raymond Huggenberger to its board of directors and Randall Whitfield to its advisory board. Last fall, the company announced its partnership with AvantSleep in Canada to distribute aerSleep, Sommetrics’ sleep apnea therapy system. Sommetrics also recently engaged Key West Investments to help raise additional capital to support the development and commercialization of products and services to treat disorders of the upper airway, such as obstructive sleep apnea and snoring.
 
“Ray and Randy are icons in our field of respiratory care,” said Richard Rose, M.D., Sommetrics’ CEO and board chairman. “They bring decades of global experience in successfully launching products embodying new technologies like our aerFree and aerSleep devices. They also have important insights into marketing strategies that are disruptive and can lead to rapid product uptake in the marketplace. We are very pleased they have decided to join Sommetrics.”
 
With more than 20 years of operational experience in the healthcare industry, Huggenberger is the former CEO of Inogen, a medical technology company that develops, manufactures, and markets oxygen concentrators. Prior to joining Inogen, he held executive leadership roles with companies including Sunrise Medical and the healthcare division of TA Triumph Adler. At Sunrise Medical, Huggenberger held several positions spanning more than a decade, including president and chief operating officer from 2002 to 2004.
 
“With its disruptive technology and team, Sommetrics is poised to change the way sleep apnea and sedation-related apnea are treated,” said Huggenberger. “I’m looking forward to being a part of this journey and contributing to the company’s commercialization.”
 
Whitfield joins Sommetrics’ advisory board with nearly four decades of business experience and more than 15 years in the respiratory industry. He led various business groups at Philips Healthcare including hospital respiratory care, emergency care and resuscitation, anesthesia care, and therapeutic temperature management. Whitfield was also the president of the critical care business unit at Respironics, as well as the president of Puritan Bennett.
 
“This is an exceptionally exciting time in Sommetrics’ growth. The healthcare industry is in need of a substantial shift in sleep apnea therapy, and I believe Sommetrics’ technology will precisely address this need,” said Whitfield. “I’m pleased to join Sommetrics’ group of experts.”
 
Last year, Sommetrics’ aerSleep received Health Canada approval, allowing it to be marketed in Canada. The company also recently announced a distribution agreement with Smiths Medical for aerFree, Sommetrics’ acute care device that aids in keeping a patient’s upper airway open during mild to moderate sedation.
 
Sommetrics is a privately funded company located in San Diego, Calif. It is primarily focused on improving sleep quality by providing products and services that deal with disorders of the upper airway such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring. In addition, the company has developed products that address sedation-related compromise of the upper airway during medical procedures.