Pathfinder Technology Hires Medtronic Exec as CEO

Pathfinder Therapeutics, a medical device company based in Nashville, Tenn., has hired Jim Cloar as its president and CEO.

Cloar previously held the position of general manager of the Navigation and Imaging division at Minneapolis, Minn.-based device giant Medtronic Inc.. Under his leadership, the division globally launched numerous new products in the field of cranial neurosurgery; ear, nose and throat; spine and orthopedics.

Cloar has held other leadership positions with including DePuy Orthopaedics, Smith & Nephew and C. R. Bard.

“We conducted a nationwide search to find the best leader at this critical time in our company’s history, to take the company to the next level of commercial success,” said Marc Buntaine, executive chairman of Pathfinder. “We are thrilled to have Jim on board, and we look forward to exciting growth for the company.”

Cloar assumes the companys reins in advance of the American Hepato Pancreato-Billary Association conference, where Pathfinder plans to showcase its image-guided liver surgical products. The first installations of Pathfinder’s systems are at UPMC, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Barnes Jewish Hospital and the National Institutes of Health.

“I am excited to lead a dynamic organization with innovative products that is committed to helping patients through engagement withour surgeon customers,” said Cloar. “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. 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 health care.”

Pathfinder is the first company to receive FDA clearance for a medical device to navigate liver surgery using preoperative medical images. The Explorer system uses state-of-the-art line of sight localization and laser range scanning surface registration techniques to show surgeons where they are in the context of their target organ and underlying structures. In addition to Explorer, Pathfinder sells Scout, a software system for liver surgery planning.