Guido J. Neels

Guido Neels, Managing Director of Essex Woodlands, has over 35 years of experience developing international healthcare businesses. From May 2004 until retiring in November 2005, Neels served as Chief Operating Officer of Guidant Corporation, a world leader in the development of cardiovascular medical products, where he was responsible for the global operations of Guidant’s four operating units – Cardiac Rhythm Management, Vascular Intervention, Cardiac Surgery, and Endovascular Solutions. From December 2002 to May 2004, he was Group Chairman, Office of the President at Guidant, responsible for worldwide sales operations, corporate communications, corporate marketing, investor relations and government relations. From January 2000 to December 2002, he was President of Guidant for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Canada.

He previously served as Vice President of Global Marketing for Vascular Intervention and as Managing Director for German and Central European operations. From 1982 to 1994, until Guidant was spun off as an independent public company from Eli Lilly and Co., Neels held general management, sales and marketing positions at Lilly in the U.S. and Europe. From 1972 to 1980, he held positions in information technology, finance and manufacturing at Raychem Corporation in Belgium and the U.S.

Neels joined Essex Woodlands as a Partner in August 2006 and was promoted to Managing Director in 2008. In addition to the portfolio company boards on which he serves; ROX Medical, Entellus Medical, Oraya Therapeutics, Clear Vascular and Endologix, Neels also serves on the Board of Directors for Arsenal Medical and EndGenitor Technologies.

Neels holds his Business Engineering degree from the University of Leuven, Belgium, and his M.B.A. from Stanford University.