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Katena is a leading global provider of precision ophthalmic instruments and therapeutics to physician offices, hospitals, surgical centers, distributors, medical device OEMs, and clinics. Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, Katena’s product offering includes precision surgical instruments, single-use devices, and specialty biologics that are sold in over 110 countries through a network of direct salespeople and distributors. Katena has more than 200 employees across Europe and North America and serves over 5,000 customers around the world.
Since being acquired by Audax in 2015, Katena has undergone a period of transformation, growth, and success:
David Wong, Managing Director at Audax, said, “We’ve enjoyed a terrific partnership with the Katena team and are very proud of the growth the Company has achieved. Over the course of our investment, Katena has expanded both its product portfolio and customer base via organic growth and strategic acquisitions. We wish the team continued success as a part of Corza Medical with GTCR’s support."
Steve Blazejewski, Chief Executive Officer of Katena, commented, “Audax has been an instrumental partner in helping Katena evolve into a leading ophthalmic products platform. With the support of Audax’ deep investment expertise, global resources, and operational experience, we have been able to accelerate our growth plans while enhancing our ability to meet the needs of our global customer base. We thank Audax for their partnership and look forward to embarking on our next phase of growth as a part of Corza Medical.”
Robert W. Baird & Co served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal advisor to Katena.
About Audax Private Equity
Audax Group is a leading alternative investment manager with offices in Boston, New York, and San Francisco. Since its founding in 1999, the firm has raised over $30 billion in capital across its Private Equity and Private Debt businesses. Audax Private Equity has invested over $7 billion in more than 140 platforms and over 1000 add-on companies, and is currently investing out of its $3.5 billion, sixth private equity fund. Through its disciplined Buy & Build approach, Audax Private Equity seeks to help platform companies execute add-on acquisitions that fuel revenue growth, optimize operations, and significantly increase equity value. With more than 300 employees, Audax is a leading capital partner for North American middle market companies. For more information, visit the Audax Private Equity website: www.audaxprivateequity.com or follow us on LinkedIn
About Katena Products
Katena Products, Inc., is an innovation-driven, medical technology company serving the global eye care community. Founded in 1975 as a premier provider of ophthalmic instruments for surgical and in-office applications, Katena has maintained its high-quality standards in ophthalmic instrumentation while expanding its product portfolio to include tissue biologics, diagnostic lenses, punctum plugs, and corneal transplant devices across cataract, glaucoma, and corneal surgery. Please visit our website https://www.katena.com/.
Steve Blazejewski is the President & CEO of Katena Products, Inc. With over 25 years in the global medical technology industry, Steve leads all critical strategic, financial, and operational performance initiatives for the company. Most recently, he was President of the $12 billion Medical Solutions global business unit at Cardinal Health. Prior to that, he was President of the $4.5 billion Patient Monitoring & Recovery global business at Medtronic and led the divestiture of the Patient Recovery business to Cardinal. From 2012-2015, Steve was President of Covidien’s $2 billion General Surgical Products global business prior to Medtronic’s acquisition, and has held a variety of sales, sales management, marketing, and general management roles. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
Bob Earley is the Chief Financial Officer at Katena. Most recently, Bob was CFO of Laborie Medical Technologies, a Toronto, Ontario based medical device manufacturer. Prior to Laborie, Bob was President and CFO for Bridgeport Tank Trucks, a Texas based oil field services company. Bob holds a B.S. in finance from The Ohio State University and an M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve.
Arun Mohan is the Vice President of Global Marketing at Katena. With over 12 years in the global medical technology industry, he leads all global marketing efforts focused on strategy, product management, customer programs, product development and professional education globally for the company. Prior to Katena, he was the Global Head of Product Marketing at Asensus Surgical in the abdominal surgical robotics space. Arun holds a B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
Jack Simmons is the Vice President of Global Sales at Katena. With over 11 years of leading customer-centric commercial models and delivering above market growth in the global medical technology industry, Jack leads the direct selling, distributor partnership, commercial operations, and customer service activities globally for the company. Prior to Katena, Jack was the National Vice President, Commercial Services at WaveMark™ a Cardinal Health Company. Jack holds a B.S. and M.Ed. in business and marketing management from the University of Minnesota.
Roger Tyler is the Managing Director of Katena’s global single use instruments business, Blink Medical Ltd based in the UK. With over 30 years of commercial experience in the ophthalmic medical device industry, Roger founded Blink Medical 18 years ago as the world’s first stand-alone supplier of single use ophthalmic surgical instruments. He leads Katena’s global commercial and operational efforts for the company’s single use ophthalmic instruments portfolio as part of the Katena senior leadership team.
Julie Eigenrauch is the Director of Human Resources at Katena responsible for leading Katena’s overall HR strategy in alignment with Katena’s business goals. Julie oversees Katena’s approach to employee engagement, recruitment, compensation & total rewards programs, employee benefits, performance management, and proactive workforce planning. For the past 10+ years, Julie has served as a strategic and accountable HR leader, driving commercial and operational excellence initiatives at large and mid-sized healthcare companies. Julie holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Cornell University.
Carolyn Zdenek is the Vice President of Operations at Katena. With over 20 years of operational leadership and experience in the global medical device and technology industry, Carolyn leads all supply chain management, manufacturing, and operations for the company globally. Prior to Katena, Carolyn was with Zimmer Biomet where she led the global Advanced Manufacturing Organization for the Orthopedic Division. Carolyn holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Rutgers University.
Bryan Weinmann is the Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Katena. With 30 plus years of Quality/Regulatory Compliance experience in the medical device industry, Bryan ensures Katena’s on-going successful regulatory compliance track record globally. Prior to Katena, Bryan was with Stryker’s Orthopedics Division (Osteonics) where he played an instrumental role in Stryker's achievement of ISO certification and CE mark authorization. Bryan holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Nauman Chughtai is the Vice President of Information Technology at Katena. With over 25 years of experience in infrastructure, enterprise systems, analytics, databases, and system engineering, Nauman leads all IT related systems and initiatives globally for the company. Prior to Katena, he was Director of IT Services at Verisk Analytics where he led the standardization of ITIL processes. Nauman holds a B.S. in computer engineering from University of Central Florida and an M.B.A. from Rutgers University.