BIOLASE Inc., a developer of dental lasers, has appointed veteran financial executive Mark J. Nelson as its senior vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective March 27. He will report to BIOLASE President and CEO Harold C. Flynn Jr. and replaces David C. Dreyer, who resigned Dec. 31, 2016, to pursue other opportunities.
 
Nelson, 48, brings significant leadership and technical experience in finance and business management from both public and private companies. He has worked effectively in stages of corporate development, from startups to turnarounds to mature industry leaders within the healthcare, scientific instrument and consumer packaged goods industries.
 
Most recently, since December 2015, Nelson served as the CFO and chief operating officer (COO) for Beyond Meat, a branded consumer goods startup, where he focused on fundraising, manufacturing supply chain redesign, and public company readiness.
 
Prior to his tenure at Beyond Meat, from April 2013 to November 2015, Nelson served as CFO and treasurer of Farmer Brothers Co., where he rebuilt the accounting, finance and internal audit functions, established the company’s investor relations program, put in place several credit facilities, and helped to execute the company’s turnaround through the implementation of a corporate-wide restructuring plan.
 
“Mark has exactly the right mix of broad financial expertise and general management experience that BIOLASE needs at this pivotal time in our continued transformation,” said Flynn. “He has been both a CFO and a COO and is highly analytical, with deep operational and manufacturing experience implementing robust business processes. He has effectively managed through turnaround and cash constrained situations. We expect his contributions across finance, operations, and corporate development to be crucial in executing our near and long term corporate objectives, and we’re happy to welcome him to the BIOLASE leadership team.”
 
Nelson spent the majority of his career in financial and operational positions of increasing responsibility with companies in the medical technology and scientific instruments industries, including plant controller at C.R. Bard Inc.; finance director at Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.; and as chief accounting officer at Newport Corporation, a developer of precision laser technologies.
 
During his tenure at Newport Corporation, from April 2010 to April 2013, Nelson implemented the company’s international shared-service accounting platform, and helped drive M&A activities through the identification and integration of several acquisition targets. Previously, as vice president and general manager, he had full P&L responsibility leading the company’s optical components segment.
 
Nelson began his career as a financial management program trainee with the General Electric Company.
 
Nelson has a master's degree in business administration from the Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts.
 
BIOLASE Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and sells laser systems in dentistry and medicine and also markets, sells, and distributes dental imaging equipment, including digital X-rays and CAD/CAM scanners. BIOLASE’s products are focused on technologies that advance the practice of dentistry to both dentists and their patients. BIOLASE’s proprietary laser products incorporate approximately 255 patented and 90 patent-pending technologies designed to provide biologically clinically superior performance with less pain and faster recovery times. BIOLASE’s principal products are dental laser systems that perform a broad range of dental procedures, including cosmetic and complex surgical applications, and a full line of dental imaging equipment. BIOLASE has sold approximately 32,800 laser systems to date in more than 90 countries around the world. The company is based in Irvine, Calif.