LUDOVIC LABAT

CEO

As a business leader, Ludovic has over 20 years’ experience in the medical device and technology industry in Europe, the USA and Asia Pacific with a range of global companies including Fortive, Danaher, Siemens, Tektronix and Invetech. He has a record of proven success in bringing innovations to market to generate profitable growth in global hi-tech and medical devices markets – in roles ranging from product ideation to go-to-market strategy.

Ludovic and his family share a passion for the ocean and sailing. He enjoys dinghy racing, on his own or with his wife – they competed together in the 2015 Tasar World Championships.

ULI GOMMEL

CTO

Uli brings over 17 years of experience in class II and III medical device development. His background includes global technical leadership at Siemens and Advanced Bionics across Europe, Asia and the US. His expertise covers the full product lifecycle, including design and development, regulatory clearance, launch and ongoing support of products on the market. 

JASON LEMAIRE

PROJECT DIRECTOR

With over two decades of experience, Jason brings a wealth of expertise across the entire product lifecycle. His extensive skill set encompasses project management, product design, operations, and quality assurance. Additionally, Jason has a strong background in medical technologies, having worked with devices from class 1 to class 3 in the fields of Ophthalmics, IVDs, and surgical devices.

Outside of work, Jason loves spending time with his kids, including coaching his son’s basketball team.

PAULA HURLEY

FINANCE MANAGER

An experienced financial professional with 20+ years in commercial finance, specialising in forecasting, budgeting, compliance, and project support. Paula has a proven track record of achieving results in diverse roles, excelling in teamwork and individual tasks. A highly organised, multitasking expert with excellent communication skills, Paula collaborates effectively with stakeholders, including operational teams, executives, board members, auditors, and advisors.

Outside of work, Paula enjoys spending time with her 7-year-old.

OWEN BURNS

SENIOR MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Owen is a systems engineer responsible for coordinating the engineering team throughout each project. He is an expert in biomechanical design for medical devices. Owen was the lead design engineer for the vagus nerve stimulation device developed to treat Crohn’s disease, which is due to start first-in-human trials soon.

Owen also led the project to design Neo-Bionica’s purpose-built facility – while renovating his own house. In his down time, he enjoys trail running, cycling and anything involving a mountain.

GARETH CLAY

SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Gareth has over 8 years’ experience in medical device product development, including class II respiratory medical devices for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and class III implantable devices with Neo-Bionica. Gareth leverages his extensive cross-disciplinary knowledge in electronics & systems across the product life-cycle to rapidly bring devices to market, having managed and lead the technical design on a broad range of medical device projects.

Outside of work, you’ll find Gareth watching or playing sport (you name it, he’s played it), or at a gig enjoying some live music.

ADITYA TARIGOPPULA

SENIOR SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Adi has over 13 years of specialized experience, excelling in neuromodulation and neuromonitoring. His expertise spans directing pre-clinical studies, product refinement, human and animal experiments, system design, testing, and data analysis. Additionally, he possesses deep skills in electrophysiology, animal surgery, and the development/testing of Class III medical devices such as endovascular and cochlear implants. Adi’s contributions are evident through numerous publications in esteemed journals and multiple patents.

Outside of work, Adi enjoys sci-fi (in all formats) and planes.

LUSIA GUTHRIE

CHAIR

Lusia is a medtech entrepreneur with over 35 years in the pharmaceutical and bioscience industries. She has extensive experience in forming companies, raising capital, developing products and bringing them to market. Lusia founded LBT Innovations to bring advanced technologies to the medical industry – and listed the company on the Australian stock exchange. She also led the company’s development of an automated plate assessment system for microbiologists, which was the first artificial intelligence diagnostic medical device to achieve US FDA class II approval.

When she’s not skimming journals, Lusia has a stack of books to read. She also has a keen interest in collecting and tasting whiskies, and is writing the history of her Polish family’s escape from Europe after World War 2.

ROBERT KLUPACS

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

With more than 30 years of international corporate experience in technology development, Robert has an extensive network in the global medtech sector. Currently the CEO of the Bionics Institute, Robert was a founder of Epi-Minder and a driving force behind the launch of Neo-Bionica. He also helped Bionic Vision Technologies raise US$18 million to fund clinical studies of the bionic eye. A registered patent attorney, Robert has deep knowledge of intellectual property and research commercialisation. He has also worked with international companies to set up special-purpose entities in Australia to take advantage of the local regulatory landscape.

In his spare time, Robert is chair of BioAutism, a charity supporting autism research. He started running to take part in fundraising events, and has now completed five half-marathons. He’s also a cyclist and a triathlete.

HAMISH GEORGE

COMPANY SECRETARY

Hamish is a Chartered Accountant and has extensive experience in providing financial advice, company secretarial and CFO services to life science businesses ranging from ASX listed entities to Not-for-Profit organisations.