Benvenue Medical Hires New COO

Benvenue Medical Inc., a developer of minimally invasive solutions for spine repair, has hired Jeffrey Jones as chief operating officer.

Jones brings more than 20 years of related operations experience with medical technology startups and Fortune 500 companies to the newly created position for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based firm.

Jones is responsible for working with the senior management team to formulate current and long range plans, objectives and policies, as well as directing the company’s operations, manufacturing, development and quality departments.

“Jeff brings a wealth of experience in scaling the operations of medical device companies,” said Robert Weigle, CEO of Benvenue Medical. “We’re happy to have Jeff join our senior management team as we continue to drive commercialization of the Kiva VCF treatment system as well as our other current and future products.”

Previously, Jones served as vice president of operations at Acclarent, acquired by Johnson & Johnson in January 2010, where he supported sales growth and was responsible for supply chain, manufacturing operations, process engineering, materials, purchasing, facilities, and environmental health and safety.

Jones has also held chief operating officer positions at a number of Bay Area medical device startups, including Polyremedy Inc., Reliant Technologies Inc., and Lumend Inc. Earlier in his career, he served as vice president of operations for Boston Scientific Corp., after it acquired EP Technologies, where he also served as vice president of operations. He holds a bachelor of science in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a master of business administration in management from Golden Gate University, and he is Six Sigma Black Belt certified.

Founded in 2004, Benvenue Medical develops expandable implants for the spine. The company is privately held and funded by InterWest Partners, Versant Ventures, DeNovo Ventures, Domain Associates and Technology Partners. Its first products are designed for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures and degenerative disc disease,

The company’s Kiva VCF system was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January.