Pathfinder Names New President and CEO Pathfinder Therapeutics has recruited former Medtronic Inc.

Pathfinder Names New President and CEO
Pathfinder Therapeutics has recruited former Medtronic Inc. executive Jim Cloar to serve as its new president and CEO. Pathfinder is the developer of an image-guided “GPS” device that enables physicians to guide the delivery of resection or ablation cancer in soft-tissue organs. Formerly the general manager of Medtronic’s navigation sector, Cloar has experience in the realm of image-guided devices.

Jim Cloar

He joined Medtronic in 1997 and worked his way up mainly in the spinal and biologics businesses. His most recent position there was as vice president and general manager of the thoracolumbar spine division. His medical device career spans almost three decades—prior to Medtronic, Cloar spent time at DePuy Orthopeadics Inc. as general manager of territory, Smith & Nephew plc as senior product manager of trauma, and C.R. Bard Inc. as product manager in the urological division. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.



The company hired Cloar just before it was scheduled to present its new image-guided liver surgical products at the American Hepato Pancreato-Billary Association conference held on March 8.

“With our team focus on research and development, as well as clinical and economic outcomes, we will provide our customers with increasingly effective planning and navigation tools to address patient needs,” said Cloar. “Pathfinder’s ability to increase the number of operable liver cancers using less invasive surgical procedures will help liver surgeons to save and extend lives while driving cost effective healthcare.”