The growing list of medtech CEO switch-ups is beginning to resemble a game of musical chairs—and one experienced leader just found a new seat.
Todd Usen, who wrapped up his nearly four-year tenure at Activ Surgical last month, has taken the reins at another surgical technology company: Minerva Surgical, where he was named president and CEO, effective this week.
Minerva is developing minimally invasive devices aimed at providing an alternative to hysterectomy in treating abnormal uterine bleeding in women. It’s been led for more than a decade by David Clapper, who initially joined the company as a member of the board of directors in 2008 before becoming president and chief executive in 2011.
“I have served over 11 years as CEO, and I feel this is the right time for me to step aside and start a new chapter in my life,” Clapper said in the company’s announcement. “Minerva Surgical is in a great operational position and is led by an experienced management team. I have the utmost confidence in Todd to lead Minerva Surgical into the future and fulfill the mission to meet the uterine health needs of women.”
Clapper stayed on at the helm of Minerva through Usen’s start date on Monday to help ease the transition of power. The former CEO has also inked a 12-month consulting agreement to continue working alongside the company throughout his first year of retirement.
Clapper’s successor arrives at Minerva with nearly three decades of experience within the medtech industry under his belt. Usen’s career kicked off with a 12-year stint at Boston Scientific, culminating in his appointment as vice president of sales in its neurovascular division.
From there, he went on to spend just over eight years at Smith+Nephew, including as president of its orthopedics business within the U.S., then about three years as president of the medical systems group of Olympus’ American operation. Most recently, Usen logged four years as CEO of Activ Surgical, a Boston startup developing augmented reality software to improve surgical camera views.
Usen said in the company announcement that he was “honored” to join Minerva, adding, “With the most convincing clinical data in the market, a strong commercial footprint and the recently announced financing, I believe that Minerva Surgical is poised to scale our growth and deliver best-in-class surgical solutions to better serve the compelling unmet needs in women’s health today.”
Meanwhile, at Activ Surgical, Usen was replaced by another Olympus alum: Manisha Shah-Bugaj, who had served as Activ’s chief operating officer since the beginning of 2022.
Upon the mid-December announcement of his impending “bittersweet” departure, Usen praised Shah-Bugaj as an “incredible medtech leader” in a LinkedIn post, where he also reflected on his tenure at Activ.
“It was my initial goal to help lead Activ Surgical from concept to commercialization, and I am proud that we accomplished this goal,” he wrote at the time. “I am humbled and grateful to have watched us go from an idea to a company valued at approximately $200M in four short years!”