Activ Surgical announced today that it promoted chief operating officer Manisha Shah-Bugaj to the role of CEO.
Shah-Bugaj served as COO at Activ Surgical since January 2022. She led the company’s impending global commercialization efforts around the ActivSight intelligent light. The intraoperative imaging module for enhanced surgical visualization received CE mark approval in Europe last week.
In her expanded role as CEO, Shah-Bugaj’s responsibilities include overseeing development and commercialization efforts. Additionally, the Boston-based company expects her to engage with company partners, customers, and investors. Outgoing CEO Todd Usen remains on the Activ Surgical board of directors, according to a news release.
“I am honored to follow in Todd’s footsteps and lead our extraordinarily talented team as the next CEO of Activ Surgical,” said Shah-Bugaj. “My passion for developing cutting-edge technologies that solve the biggest challenges in healthcare, coupled with my experience in commercializing and scaling new medtech products and systems, has led me to this career-defining moment. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to lead Activ Surgical into this new chapter of our history as we aim to usher in a new era of patient safety and surgical care in operating rooms around the world.”
More about new Activ Surgical CEO Manisha Shah-Bugaj
Before she joined Activ Surgical, Shah-Bugaj helped build the gynecology unit at Olympus in the U.S. Ultimately, she served as GM and global VP for the company.
Overall, Shah-Bugaj holds more than two decades of experience. Her past responsibilities included building and implementing corporate business plans and directing regional and global businesses. She also handled hiring, establishing new teams and managing product portfolios throughout her career.
“Manisha is the perfect leader to take on the CEO position as Activ Surgical pivots from primarily a research and product development organization to commercialization of the company’s products,” said Paul Meister, board chair. “She has an impressive track record as a successful medtech executive and transformational operationally-focused leader with deep expertise in commercializing complex technologies and scaling businesses to meet a wide range of customer needs. I look forward to continuing our close working relationship and am excited about the possibilities for Activ Surgical with Manisha in this leadership role.”
Outgoing CEO Usen to pursue new challenge
Todd Usen said he departs from the CEO role at Activ Surgical to take on his next challenge, according to a post on LinkedIn.
He added that he led the team since January 2019 with a goal of going from concept to commercialization.
“I am proud that we accomplished this goal,” Usen wrote. “I’m equally proud of our work to develop cutting-edge products to aid surgeons, provide critical real-time intelligence and surgical visualization, and reduce preventable surgical errors.
Usen also wrote that his focus always centered around hiring and developing “the best of the best.” According to the outgoing CEO, Shah-Bugaj falls in that category, calling her “an incredible medtech leader.”
“I’m confident that Manisha will expertly guide the company’s growth and commercialization into the future,” he said.