NATICK, Mass., March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Neothermia Corporation, an emerging leader in the development and marketing of minimally invasive systems for the diagnosis of breast cancer, today announced that Thomas M. Tully, President and Chief Executive Officer, has informed the Board of Directors of his intention to retire, effective April 1, 2005. Mr. Tully will be succeeded by Christopher A. Bleck, currently Executive Vice President, Marketing and Sales. Concurrent with his new position as President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bleck will be elected to the Board of Directors of Neothermia. Mr. Tully will work with Mr. Bleck and the Board of Directors for a smooth transition of leadership at Neothermia, and will continue to be available for ongoing consultation following his retirement.
Mr. Tully commented, "I have very much enjoyed the challenge and opportunity of working with the team at Neothermia to bring the en-bloc(R) breast biopsy system from prototype to growing market acceptance, since joining the Company in July 2000. I look forward to working with Chris for a smooth transition of leadership and am highly confident of continued success for Neothermia."
Mr. Bleck, 47, has been Executive Vice President of Neothermia since January 7, 2005. He has more than 20 years of successful senior marketing and sales management experience in both the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and Vice President, Commercial Operations, for Cytyc Corporation, a diagnostic and therapeutic medical device company focused on women's health. In his positions at Cytyc, Mr. Bleck was responsible for a sales division of 200, and had full responsibility for the marketing and customer service teams. Prior to joining Cytyc, he spent 18 years in senior management at Abbott Laboratories, including positions as Corporate Vice President, Pediatric Products and President & General Manager, Abbott Canada. Mr. Bleck holds a B.S. degree in Pharmacy and an M.B.A. from The University of Connecticut.
"We wish Tom all the best in his retirement and thank him for his dedicated service to Neothermia for the past four and a half years," stated Chairman of the Board, James Foster. "We are very pleased to name Chris Bleck as Tom's successor. Chris' demonstrated management and leadership abilities uniquely qualify him as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Neothermia. The Board of Directors and investors of Neothermia continue to be enthusiastic about the ongoing prospects for the continued growth and success of the en-bloc(R) system and other technologies of the Company."
About Neothermia Corporation
Founded in 1998, and based in Natick, Massachusetts, Neothermia is a privately held company focused on the design, development and marketing of innovative, minimally invasive systems for the volumetric excision of tissue for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in select cancer markets. The Company's lead product, the en-bloc(R) biopsy system, received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in June 2001. Initial products are targeted at breast biopsy and tumor excision.
Contact:
Neothermia Corporation
Thomas M. Tully, President & CEO
508-655-7820
Rx Communications Group
Paula Schwartz (investors) 917-322-2216
Tony Ho Loke (media) 917-322-2164
Neothermia Corporation
CONTACT: Thomas M. Tully, President & CEO of Neothermia Corporation,+1-508-655-7820; or Investors Paula Schwartz, +1-917-322-2216, or Media: TonyHo Loke +1-917-322-2164, both of Rx Communications Group, for NeothermiaCorporation