Ted Bird: New CCO at Titan Spine

Ted Bird will be ensuring the smooth flow of commercial activities at Titan Spine, LLC from now on, with his appointment as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO).

Titan Spine Chief Executive Officer Peter Ullrich commented in the November 14, 2016 news release, “Ted is a well-respected medical device commercial leader with more than 30 years of sales, marketing and senior executive experience at leading healthcare companies. He is well-known and highly regarded in the spine industry, with extensive relationships among surgeons and distributors built from over 25 years working with spine companies including ApiFix, Orthofix, Depuy Spine and Medtronic Sofamor Danek. We look forward to Ted’s significant spine commercialization expertise and contributions as Titan Spine continues ramping up its full U.S. launch of our Endoskeleton titanium implants featuring our groundbreaking nanoLOCK surface technology, the only nano-cleared interbody device on the market shown to elicit a nano-cellular level response for bone growth.”

As indicated in the news release, “Prior to joining Titan Spine, Bird was the non-executive Chairman of the Board for ApiFix, an Israeli start-up company with a minimally invasive, fusion-less technology for correction of early onset and adolescent scoliosis and President of Bird Medical, a strategic consulting firm for healthcare manufacturers. Previously, Bird successfully led and inspired global business units and commercial teams at Orthofix, including roles as President, Spine Fixation Division, Senior Vice President Global Marketing and Senior Vice President, U.S. Sales; Depuy Spine, including roles of Vice President, Field Marketing & Strategic Development and Vice President of Spine Arthroplasty Education; and Medtronic Sofamor Danek, including roles as Vice President, Global Medical Education and Emerging Technologies and Vice President, Marketing. He started his career in arthroscopy sales at Dyonics and progressed to key marketing positions at Microvasive and Johnson & Johnson Orthopedics. Bird is a graduate of Brown University with bachelor’s degrees in International Relations and Political Science.”

Ted Bird told OTW, “My first steps are to immerse myself in the Titan culture that drew my interest to join the company. That will entail meeting with the key team members at the executive, middle management and support levels, as well as key surgeons, distributor partners and investors who have brought the company to where it is today and listen to their perspectives on the biggest opportunities and challenges moving forward. I am also heavily invested in learning the robust science that differentiates Titan’s proprietary surface technology and products in the interbody fusion marketplace. In addition, it’s important for me to get oriented to and evaluate the processes, procedures, products, services, departments and sales regions at Titan Spine in order to secure some quick wins that provide an immediate positive impact and add fuel to our momentum.”

“I am most excited that the interbody fusion market is dramatically shifting toward our core competency, which is the ability to affect bone growth at the cellular level through nanosurface-enhanced titanium implants. The challenging part is to continue to differentiate ourselves from the myriad of companies that are attempting to ‘ride our coattails’ by introducing their own titanium implants. The recent launch of our next-generation nanoLOCK surface makes this challenge truly exciting, since nanoLOCK is the only surface backed by science in several published scientific articles, coupled with validation by the U.S. Government as the only cleared nanotechnology for the spine and the only surface with access to the recently-created new technology code for a nanotextured surface on an interbody fusion device. It’s refreshing and exciting to have so many great tools in the sales bag to differentiate Titan Spine in a highly competitive market.”