Halifax-based medical device maker ABK Biomedical has a new President and CEO.

He is Michael J. Mangano, who was already a director of ABK and was recently President and CEO of San Clemente, Calif.-based ReShape Medical. ABK’s previous CEO Bob Abraham, who fully supports the hiring, will remain on the senior management team as Chief Medical Officer.

“In fact, I had asked Mike to join the Board of Directors in 2016, with the vision that he would be the ideal candidate to lead ABK into the future when the time was right,” said Abraham in an email. “It is very positive for ABK that Mike has accepted this position. He recognizes the great potential for the company and how we are creating game-changing technology to treat liver cancers and other hypervascular tumors.”

ABK, which raised $9 million in capital last summer, is working to improve a process used to kill some forms of tumour: tiny beads cling to tumours, depriving them of blood flow and thereby shrinking or killing them. The company hopes that its first product – which is now awaiting regulatory approval in the U.S. – will be one of the first beads on the market that can be seen by x-ray, and this will help doctors assess how well the treatment is working.

The company said in a statement Monday that Mangano will be responsible for leading global business activities, including the rapid development, regulatory approval and commercialization of its medical device technologies.

Appili Considers Stock Market Listing

At ReShape, Mangano increased organizational value and orchestrated its sale to EnteroMedics in October 2017. Previously, Mangano was President of the Americas for Sirtex Medical, a leading publicly traded Australian company, where he grew a team of 17 to more than 130 over six years. Prior to Sirtex, Mangano spent 15 years with Boston Scientific.

“Mike is an accomplished leader with a history of global success in building dynamic teams, leading organizational change, creating and shaping strategies and executing programs – all directly increasing shareholder value,” said Aaron Berez, Chairman of the ABK Board. “His vast experience in sales and marketing management, product development, strategic planning, international business, M&A, project management and business model development will be invaluable as he takes the reins at ABK and leads the company into the next phase of our evolution.”

Said Mangano: “I am excited to join the team at ABK, which has outstanding experience in the medical device industry. The talent at ABK, coupled with an innovative technology platform and pipeline, provide a strong foundation and solid prospects for our future growth and success.”

Abraham, who is also a practicing interventional radiologist, will continue to play a key role in product development and the clinical evolution of ABK’s key technology platforms.