Align Technology, a leading global medical technology company that designs, manufactures and distributes the Invisalign clear aligner system, announced that Emory Wright has been appointed Executive Vice President of the Direct Fabrication Manufacturing Platform, effective immediately.
Wright, who has been responsible for Align’s global operations, will hand over his current treatment planning responsibilities to Dr. Mitra Derakhshan. Derakhshan, who holds over 55 patents, will serve as Executive Vice President, Chief Clinical Officer, Global Treatment Planning and Clinical Services, building a new global treatment planning and clinical services organization. Wright’s focus is now on developing a scalable 3D printing platform to meet the global demand for Align’s future products and services, including the Invisalign Palatal Expander.
Following today’s announcement, Joe Hogan, Align Technology president and CEO provided the following comments: “Emory has had an enormous impact on Align and the orthodontic industry as a whole and I am thrilled he will continue to provide his extensive knowledge and experience to help us accelerate our plans and further extend our leadership in 3D printing.”
Srini Kaza, who has been with Align for 25 years, will continue to lead the company’s innovation efforts. Kaza’s team, which recently acquired Cubicure, is working on the next generation of 3D printing technologies. These are expected to fundamentally change clear aligner therapy.
“Srini just crossed his 25th anniversary with Align and he is one of the most revered innovators of clear aligner therapy in the world —and his contributions to the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, the Invisalign system, are unprecedented”, continued Hogan. “I am pleased to have Srini continue to lead our next phase of innovation working closely with Emory in his new role, and I want to congratulate Srini on his promotion to executive vice president, research & development.”
Dr. Mitra Derakhshan will create an end-to-end global treatment planning and clinical services organization that combines the expertise of Global Treat Operations and Global Clinical.
Rogan continued: “Mitra and our clinical team have played a pivotal role in developing our products and software validation as well as driving adoption of the Invisalign system through our clinical education, digital education, new doctor onboarding and growth programs as well as research programs and evidence activities. Combining their expertise with the operational and clinical competencies developed in our Treat Operations over the years, will create a new global organization with the critical capabilities needed to drive increased confidence and adoption of Invisalign system globally.”
Jitse Marree, former Vice President of Global Aligner Manufacturing, will assume Wright’s remaining operational responsibilities and report directly to Hogan. With over 20 years of experience in the medical device and other industries, Marree will utilize his extensive expertise to further strengthen Align’s global operations.
“Over the past seven years Jitse has been responsible for building out and leading both treatment planning and aligner fabrication operations in the EMEA region, and more recently across our global aligner manufacturing operations. With more than 20 years of experience working in the medical device, healthcare, and food industries in various positions in manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and customer experience, I am confident that Jitse will bring his extensive knowledge and experience, and best practices to further extend our world-class global operational leadership.”
These structural changes and focus on advanced 3D printing technologies demonstrate Align’s commitment to innovation and efficiency. With an experienced leadership team and expanded additive manufacturing capabilities, Align is well positioned to meet the increasing demand for its products and continue to be a leader in the orthodontics industry.
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