Our Team
Axis Spine Technologies is building an expert team to develop highly differentiated products that provide meaningful improvements in patient care.
The Team
Jon Arcos
As CEO & Founder, Jon brings 25 years of experience in spinal implants. Jon has worked for a broad range of companies from start-up to multi-national conglomerates in sales, product management, sales management and commercial leadership roles. Jon has been part of and led teams who have executed on several new product and Technology launches such as; Mini ALIF at Aesculap; Monarch at DePuy; STALIF at Surgicraft, now Centinel Spine, this was the world’s first stand-alone ALIF cage; XLIF, MAS PLIF and Reline at NuVasive UK.
At ApaTech (now part of Baxter) Jon led the branding, marketing messaging, commercial launch and new product development strategy for Actifuse, which became the most successful synthetic bone graft.
Following ApaTech Jon launched the UK business for NuVasive, their first wholly owned International subsidiary. After 5 years NuVasive was No. 3 in market and was the most profitable International company in the group.
Ivo Scheepens
Commercial leader with 25 years of marketing and sales experience in the global orthopaedic, neuro and spine industry. Held international positions in blue-chip, midcap and start-up organizations. A seasoned marketeer with vast experience in market development and strategy, commercialization, new product development and launch, as well brand management and digital marketing.
Ivo joined Axis Spine Technologies in 2021 from Intrinsic Therapeutics, where he served a ten-year tenure as Vice President Global Marketing for a first-to-market, PMA-approved implant addressing at-risk lumbar discectomy patients. Prior to Intrinsic, he held international marketing and product management positions with Wright Medical Technology and Medtronic.
Gant Newsom
Gant is an accomplished Sales Leader with 15 years of experience in med device primarily in the spine space. He has held multiple positions which started in the O.R. as a rep and transitioned up through the ranks of Regional Manager, Area Director, and Vice President roles. His market development experience includes selling spinal hardware, spinal implants, and biologics. He has guided the revenue growth efforts of sales and sales management teams in both direct and distribution models.
Gant joined Axis Spine Technologies in the fall of 2021, coming over from DuraStat where he was Vice President of Sales. Previous companies include Camber Spine, LDR, Zimmer Biomet and Globus.
He has a passion for working with surgeons to provide innovation in spine surgery with the goal of improving patient outcomes.
Lucy Singah
Lucy Singah joined Axis Spine Technologies in May 2020 as Finance Director, and brings over 10 years’ experience from leading pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline plc where she held a number of finance leadership roles. Lucy joined the M&A team and completed strategic deals including establishing a Joint Venture with Pfizer to create the HIV specialist company ViiV Healthcare. She then moved to the Group’s Investor Relations team, working closely with the Group CFO, and external investor and analyst community.
Lucy then became the Finance Director for the Head of Procurement with oversight of £14bn external spend, and latterly the Head of Oral and Skin Care in the Consumer business with revenues of £3.5bn.
Lucy is a member Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland qualifying in 2006 with Ernst & Young Transaction Advisory teams. Lucy worked across a variety of Corporate and Private Equity clients in Industrial and Consumer industries. She graduated from the University of Nottingham with BA Management Studies.
Julie Foxcroft
Julie joined Axis Spine Technologies in 2017 supporting the team in the role of Office Manager. Julie’s background is in corporate banking and latterly in the medical devices industry. Undertaking various operational responsibilities including leadership roles, compliance and project management. Her experience in the medical devices field commenced with the start-up of NuVasive UK creating back-office operation team from day zero.
Very much a self-starter, Julie has been able to bring a wealth of skills and knowledge to the Team coupled with focus and drive.
Chris Reah
Chris Reah joined Axis Spine Technologies in March 2018, bringing over 16 years’ experience in all aspects of Spinal Implant development, having previously worked for NuVasive and Pearsalls. As a development engineer he was part of a two man development team responsible for a product that was acquired for $40m and subsequently was a key member of a team that successfully applied for an artificial disc PMA approval in the USA. In regulatory affairs he maintained responsibility for regulatory approvals in over 80 markets worldwide, remotely managing an international team.
Chris graduated with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Manchester in 2002, he is an inventor on over 20 patents and patent applications.
Chris Gowland
Chris was appointed Director Design & Development in July 2020. He brings a wealth of international experience after spending over 25 years within the Medical Device industry almost exclusively in Spine, the majority of which with DePuy Synthes J&J covering all aspects of Spinal pathology. More recently Chris spent 3 ½ years in Germany working for Silony Medical involved in developing MIS pedicle screw and Cervical systems.
Chris’s extensive technical background allows the valuable communication and understanding required between Design, Prototype manufacture & Production to be met. In addition, the synergies with Sales/Marketing & Business Development plus the liaison with Clinical professionals externally ensure the customer requirements and expectations are clearly understood.
Chris is apprentice trained and completed his HND in Manufacturing Engineering in the U.K. He has been granted multiple patents within the Medical Device field both EU & Internationally.
Rebecca Lee
Rebecca Lee joined Axis Spine Technologies as a Validation Engineer in September 2021. She has over 16 years experience within the medical device industry after previously working for BBI Solutions and Zimmer Biomet. Her time at BBI solutions was spent working on lateral flow assay development and manufacturing, specialising in a device to detect bacterial contamination in donor platelets. Her time at Zimmer Biomet strengthened her validation skills with particular focus on end of line special processes such as cleaning, sterile packaging, and sterilisation of orthopaedic implants. Rebecca recently became a BSi certified internal auditor. Rebecca received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Glamorgan in 2004.
The Board
Simon Cartmell, OBE
Simon Cartmell has spent over 35 years in the life-science and healthcare sector. He has extensive pharmaceutical, biotech and med-tech experience and is a serial entrepreneur in early-stage healthcare businesses – directly or as a venture capital investor. His early career was at Glaxo/GlaxoWellcome plc in a series of senior UK and global sales, marketing, supply chain, business development and commercial strategy roles. Subsequently he was COO Vanguard Medica, latterly Vernalis plc, and an Executive Director of FTSE 100 listed Celltech Group plc and CEO, Celltech Pharmaceuticals. In 2003 he became CEO of ApaTech Ltd, a UK orthobiologics start up, leading it to significant global success prior to its $330m sale to Baxter in 2010.
Subsequently Simon was actively engaged in a portfolio of medtech and digital healthcare businesses as a Venture Partner with Imperial Innovations Ltd/IPGroup plc and on his own account. He is currently non-executive Chairman of OssDsign AB, a Swedish customised implant business and Chairman of Oviva AG, a Swiss based diabetes and obesity management business. He joined the Board of Axis Spine Technologies Ltd in February 2021.
He is active in educational charitable work and sits on the Court of Assistants of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers and is Chairman of the Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools Governing Body. Additionally, he is active as a director of sports-related clubs and entities in his local community.
He was awarded the OBE for services to the Healthcare Sector in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in July 2016
John Sutcliffe
Triage Consultant Spinal Neurosurgeon
Lead Clinician London Spine Clinic
MBChB FRCS(Ed) FRCS (SN)
John Sutcliffe trained as an undergraduate in Edinburgh, gaining the year prize for systematic surgery and qualifying in 1983. His early medical post-graduate training was also in Edinburgh, after qualification, taking in a large number of specialties including plastic, orthopaedic and paediatric surgery before focusing on neurosurgery.
He undertook Neurosurgical training posts in Sheffield and London and developed an extensive experience of treating spinal conditions ranging from tumours and trauma to the commoner degenerative spinal conditions. He was appointed as a consultant neurosurgeon in 1993 and since that time has concentrated exclusively in the management of patients with spinal disorders.
He developed the concept of the multi-disciplinary team approach to spinal disorders, setting up the London Spine Clinic in 1997 and resigned from the NHS in 2000. He remains an Emeritus Consultant at Barts’ and the London NHS Trust. The London Spine Clinic was the first unit of its kind in the UK and continues with the same philosophy today.
Mr Sutcliffe has trained many young spinal surgeons, as training director in his NHS career and as supervisor for the spinal fellowship at the London Spine Clinic and London Clinic Hospital. He runs a regular teaching and training program within the Clinic, in both surgical and non-surgical aspects of spine care.
Mr Sutcliffe no longer undertakes open surgical procedures, but will focus on triaging the patients, arranging the multi-disciplinary management of their symptoms and running the London Spine Clinic as efficiently as possible.
Peter Dines
Peter Dines is Chief Operating Officer of Mercia Asset Management PLC, a leading UK investment company. Peter joined the board of Axis Spine after co-founding the company with seed investment via the Mercia EIS funds. In addition to Axis Spine, he is on the board of Mercia portfolio companies Locate Bio, Native Antigen, Concepta PLC and Sense Biodetection and is a co-founder of C7 Health, a diagnostic healthtech provider.
Peter has a wealth of spine experience having been the CEO of UK medical device company Surgicraft, responsible for developing and launching the first generation standalone STALIF® before spinning out Surgi C™ which he grew over five years to be the UK’s leading spinal distribution business where he successfully exited in 2012.
Ted Davis
Ted Davis is the President & CEO of Active Implants, LLC., a sports medicine company developing and commercializing the NUsurface® Meniscus Implant. Prior to joining the Active Implants Board in 2016, he led MicroPort Orthopedics, Inc. from its establishment in 2014 through September 2015 following MicroPort Scientific’s acquisition of Wright Medical Technology, Inc.’s global OrthoRecon business. Ted was President of Wright’s OrthoRecon division from November 2012 until its divestiture and previously led Wright’s Corporate Development, Research and Development and Business Development functions having originally joined Wright in December 2006. During his tenure at Wright/MicroPort, Ted helped establish three spin-outs of non-core technologies. Prior to joining Wright, Ted spent 10 years in the life sciences venture capital field, where he served on various boards of privately held medical device and biotechnology companies, most recently as a Partner with MB Venture Partners (MBVP) and previously with Vector Fund Management (VFM). Ted began his career in the healthcare management consulting and pharmaceutical industries.
Ted received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. In addition to Axis Spine Technologies, he currently serves on the Board of Directors for Active Implants, LLC and SIBone, Inc.
