Former ZimVie CEO Joins Inogen’s Board of Directors

Inogen Inc. has appointed Vafa Jamali as an independent director to its Board of Directors.

Jamali is a long-time medical device executive who brings added depth and expertise to the board, Inogen bigwigs claim. “We are pleased to welcome Vafa to the Board and look forward to benefiting from his unique perspectives,” Inogen Board Chair Beth Mora said. “Throughout his many years of leading medical device companies, Vafa has established a track record of driving strategic execution and delivering sustained growth. As we continue advancing our transformation from a single product oxygen company into a diversified respiratory care platform, we believe Vafa’s insight and direction will help guide our management team to execute on its path forward and continue to deliver strong top-line growth and improve profitability.”

During his tenure as ZimVie’s CEO, he led the company’s Nasdaq listing following the spin-out from Zimmer Biomet and helped each of the businesses (Spine and Dental) through significant portfolio optimization actions to support a turnaround to higher growth and profitability.

Before ZimVie, Jamali spent nearly 12 years at Covidien and Medtronic, where he most recently served as senior vice president and president of the Respiratory, Gastrointestinal & Informatics division, a $3 billion business that included 10,000 team members across four businesses and 14 manufacturing sites. While leading that division, he played a key role in accelerating growth and expanding margins.

“Inogen is well positioned to drive meaningful growth, supported by its strong foundation in portable oxygen and an expanded, diversified product portfolio, as healthcare systems continue to shift care into the home,” Jamali stated. “The company’s clear strategic direction and improved financial profile provide a solid foundation for the opportunities ahead, and I look forward to working closely with the board and management to help guide Inogen’s continued progress.”

In connection with Jamali’s appointment, Inogen has reached a cooperation agreement with Kent Lake Partners LP, Kent Lake PR LLC, and Benjamin Natter (collectively, “Kent Lake”). The agreement includes customary standstill, voting, and other provisions. Evercore is serving as financial advisor to the company, Covington & Burling LLP is serving as legal counsel, and Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher is serving as strategic communications advisor.

“We invested in Inogen because we believe the company’s respiratory product portfolio is positioned to address growing and unmet patient needs. As Inogen executes on profitable growth, more patient lives are enhanced and the broader healthcare system benefits,” Kent Lake Managing Member Benjamin Natter commented. “Our recent discussions with the company have reinforced our confidence in the direction Inogen is taking, and we believe Vafa will be a constructive addition to the board as management continues to execute on its established strategic priorities of driving organic revenue growth, advancing profitability and cash generation, continued product innovation, and disciplined capital allocation.”

Inogen Inc. is a global medical technology company offering respiratory products for use in the homecare setting. Inogen develops, manufactures, and markets best-in-class respiratory therapy devices used to deliver care to patients suffering from chronic respiratory conditions. Inogen partners with patients, prescribers, home medical equipment providers, and distributors to make its respiratory therapy products widely available.