CMR Surgical has hired Chris O’Hara as commercial president and general manager for the U.S.
The appointment comes as the surgical robotics company prepares to scale up in the U.S. market after receiving Food and Drug Administration authorization in October for its Versius multiport soft tissue robot.
With FDA marketing authorization secured, “this is a pivotal moment for CMR,” the company wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing the hire.
O’Hara joined CMR in the new role on Monday. He previously served as senior vice president of sales and marketing at Virtual Incision and has also held senior roles at Intuitive Surgical and Globus Medical.
At CMR, O’Hara will lead commercial strategy as a member of the executive team, reporting to CEO Massimiliano Colella.
“His proven track record in building successful commercial teams and driving strategic growth will be instrumental as we expand in the [U.S.],” the company said. CMR said its Versius system has now been used in more than 36,000 clinical procedures globally.
The Cambridge, U.K.-based robot developer is among a batch of young companies preparing to challenge market leader Intuitive Surgical in surgical robotics.
CMR recently closed a $200 million financing round intended to fund the commercial expansion of Versius, with a focus on the U.S. market. At the time, CMR said Versius was the world’s second most utilized soft tissue surgical robot, used in a range of procedures across more than 30 countries.
