Michael Barbella, Managing Editor08.17.23
Orchestra BioMed Holdings Inc. has appointed Bill Little as executive vice president of Corporate Development and Strategy, and Andrew Taylor as chief financial officer (CFO). Taylor succeeds former CFO Michael Kaswan, who will continue as a consultant to the company during a transition period.
“It’s an honor to welcome Bill and Andrew to our executive team, two highly experienced medical device industry executives with a strong appreciation for our partnership-driven innovation and growth strategy,” Orchestra BioMed Chairman, Founder, and CEO David Hochman said. “Bill brings an extraordinary depth of knowledge, expertise and relationships in the cardiovascular device industry that we believe will help us identify further opportunities to apply our business model for bringing medical innovations to life. Andrew and I have a long-standing professional relationship spanning more than six years, during which time he has proven to be a talented financial leader with highly relevant operational, capital markets and strategic perspective and experience. We look forward to generating additional value for our stakeholders with the aid of Bill and Andrew’s leadership. We are also very grateful to Mike for his many contributions, which helped us build a strong balance sheet to adeptly enter the public markets.”
The Orchestra BioMed business model is centered on risk-reward sharing partnerships to advance medical technologies to market. Little's appointment marks the establishment of a formal corporate development function within Orchestra BioMed focused on driving strategy for additional potential strategic collaborations and pipeline expansion. Little most recently served as chief operating officer at Neovasc, where he drove its successful acquisition by Shockwave Medical in April 2023. Before joining Neovasc in 2019, he spent 25 years in the medical device industry, including as a member of the leadership team at Abbott Vascular, where he served as divisional vice president of Global Marketing and head of Customer and New Market Insights. Earlier in his career, Little served as vice president of Global Cardiovascular Therapies for St. Jude Medical, where he shaped marketing and strategy for the structural heart and vascular portfolios; vice president, Global Marketing at Bard Peripheral Vascular; and in various cardiovascular sales and marketing roles at Boston Scientific Corp. Little earned a bachelor of science degree business administration and marketing from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
“There is a wealth of promising medical device technology that needs the right resources and expertise to advance through clinical development and ultimately serve patients and clinicians. The business model Orchestra BioMed is pursuing is designed to address a persistent, industry-wide challenge in the device space, presenting a unique solution to mobilize talent, capital and operational agility through structured collaborations with large device companies," Little stated. "In my new role, I look forward to working with David, Darren, and the team they have assembled to pursue new technologies and partnerships so we can continue to accelerate innovation to patients.”
Taylor joins Orchestra BioMed with more than 20 years of CFO experience with emerging growth companies, the last 15 of which were in the medical device sector. He has worked closely with Hochman and Orchestra BioMed President, Founder and Chief Operating Officer Darren R. Sherman as a strategic advisor for more than six years and is deeply connected to its mission. Before joining Orchestra BioMed, Taylor was CFO of Motus GI Holdings Inc., where he helped lead the company’s 2018 IPO. Prior to Motus GI, Taylor spent 10 years as CFO and president of Avertix Medical Inc. (formerly known as Angel Medical Systems Inc.), where he is still a member of the Board of Directors. Prior to Avertix, he was a practice leader for AC Lordi Consulting (now part of BDO USA LLP) and CFO and corporate director of Operations for Safe3w Inc. (acquired by iPass). Taylor earned a high-honors MBA with a concentration in accounting and finance from Northeastern University and a bachelor of arts degree in political science and economics from McGill University.
“I have watched the Orchestra BioMed story unfold from concept to exciting execution over the last six years as I worked alongside David and Darren in my role as CFO of Motus GI. I am honored and excited to join them as the company’s CFO to help continue to drive an innovative and capital efficient business model supported by premier investors and global leaders in medical device development and commercialization," Taylor said. "I look forward to working with the members of Orchestra BioMed’s team, as well as our strategic collaborators at Medtronic and Terumo as we seek to advance our high-impact BackBeat Cardiac Neuromodulation Therapy and Virtue Sirolimus AngioInfusion Balloon programs.”
Orchestra BioMed is a biomedical company accelerating high-impact technologies to patients through risk-reward sharing partnerships with medical device companies. Orchestra BioMed’s partnership-enabled business model focuses on forging strategic collaborations with medical device companies to commercialize products it develops. Orchestra BioMed’s flagship product candidates include BackBeat Cardiac Neuromodulation Therapy (CNT) for treating hypertension, and Virtue Sirolimus AngioInfusion Balloon (SAB) for treating atherosclerotic artery disease. Orchestra BioMed has a strategic collaboration with Medtronic for developing and commercializing BackBeat CNT for treating hypertension in pacemaker-indicated patients, and a strategic partnership with Terumo Corporation for developing and commercializing Virtue SAB for treating artery disease. Orchestra BioMed has additional product candidates and plans to potentially expand its product pipeline through acquisitions, strategic collaborations, licensing, and organic development.
“It’s an honor to welcome Bill and Andrew to our executive team, two highly experienced medical device industry executives with a strong appreciation for our partnership-driven innovation and growth strategy,” Orchestra BioMed Chairman, Founder, and CEO David Hochman said. “Bill brings an extraordinary depth of knowledge, expertise and relationships in the cardiovascular device industry that we believe will help us identify further opportunities to apply our business model for bringing medical innovations to life. Andrew and I have a long-standing professional relationship spanning more than six years, during which time he has proven to be a talented financial leader with highly relevant operational, capital markets and strategic perspective and experience. We look forward to generating additional value for our stakeholders with the aid of Bill and Andrew’s leadership. We are also very grateful to Mike for his many contributions, which helped us build a strong balance sheet to adeptly enter the public markets.”
The Orchestra BioMed business model is centered on risk-reward sharing partnerships to advance medical technologies to market. Little's appointment marks the establishment of a formal corporate development function within Orchestra BioMed focused on driving strategy for additional potential strategic collaborations and pipeline expansion. Little most recently served as chief operating officer at Neovasc, where he drove its successful acquisition by Shockwave Medical in April 2023. Before joining Neovasc in 2019, he spent 25 years in the medical device industry, including as a member of the leadership team at Abbott Vascular, where he served as divisional vice president of Global Marketing and head of Customer and New Market Insights. Earlier in his career, Little served as vice president of Global Cardiovascular Therapies for St. Jude Medical, where he shaped marketing and strategy for the structural heart and vascular portfolios; vice president, Global Marketing at Bard Peripheral Vascular; and in various cardiovascular sales and marketing roles at Boston Scientific Corp. Little earned a bachelor of science degree business administration and marketing from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
“There is a wealth of promising medical device technology that needs the right resources and expertise to advance through clinical development and ultimately serve patients and clinicians. The business model Orchestra BioMed is pursuing is designed to address a persistent, industry-wide challenge in the device space, presenting a unique solution to mobilize talent, capital and operational agility through structured collaborations with large device companies," Little stated. "In my new role, I look forward to working with David, Darren, and the team they have assembled to pursue new technologies and partnerships so we can continue to accelerate innovation to patients.”
Taylor joins Orchestra BioMed with more than 20 years of CFO experience with emerging growth companies, the last 15 of which were in the medical device sector. He has worked closely with Hochman and Orchestra BioMed President, Founder and Chief Operating Officer Darren R. Sherman as a strategic advisor for more than six years and is deeply connected to its mission. Before joining Orchestra BioMed, Taylor was CFO of Motus GI Holdings Inc., where he helped lead the company’s 2018 IPO. Prior to Motus GI, Taylor spent 10 years as CFO and president of Avertix Medical Inc. (formerly known as Angel Medical Systems Inc.), where he is still a member of the Board of Directors. Prior to Avertix, he was a practice leader for AC Lordi Consulting (now part of BDO USA LLP) and CFO and corporate director of Operations for Safe3w Inc. (acquired by iPass). Taylor earned a high-honors MBA with a concentration in accounting and finance from Northeastern University and a bachelor of arts degree in political science and economics from McGill University.
“I have watched the Orchestra BioMed story unfold from concept to exciting execution over the last six years as I worked alongside David and Darren in my role as CFO of Motus GI. I am honored and excited to join them as the company’s CFO to help continue to drive an innovative and capital efficient business model supported by premier investors and global leaders in medical device development and commercialization," Taylor said. "I look forward to working with the members of Orchestra BioMed’s team, as well as our strategic collaborators at Medtronic and Terumo as we seek to advance our high-impact BackBeat Cardiac Neuromodulation Therapy and Virtue Sirolimus AngioInfusion Balloon programs.”
Orchestra BioMed is a biomedical company accelerating high-impact technologies to patients through risk-reward sharing partnerships with medical device companies. Orchestra BioMed’s partnership-enabled business model focuses on forging strategic collaborations with medical device companies to commercialize products it develops. Orchestra BioMed’s flagship product candidates include BackBeat Cardiac Neuromodulation Therapy (CNT) for treating hypertension, and Virtue Sirolimus AngioInfusion Balloon (SAB) for treating atherosclerotic artery disease. Orchestra BioMed has a strategic collaboration with Medtronic for developing and commercializing BackBeat CNT for treating hypertension in pacemaker-indicated patients, and a strategic partnership with Terumo Corporation for developing and commercializing Virtue SAB for treating artery disease. Orchestra BioMed has additional product candidates and plans to potentially expand its product pipeline through acquisitions, strategic collaborations, licensing, and organic development.