Meet the HeartForce™ Leadership Team
At HeartForce™, our mission is driven by people. From visionary founders to leading experts in cardiology, engineering, AI, and healthcare (marketing) strategy. Meet the team shaping the future of CAD risk screening.
Board of Directors
Roland Diggelmann
Board Member
Roland is a globally recognized leader in the life sciences and medical technology sectors, with more than two decades of CEO experience at Roche Diagnostics and Smith & Nephew. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Sonova AG and is Chair of the Board at Mettler Toledo, where he helps guide strategy, innovation, and global growth. In addition to his board role at HeartForce™, Roland acts as a strategic advisor to the company, drawing on his extensive operational, governance, and industry expertise to support our long-term vision and execution.
Prof. Dr. Richard Kobza
Board Member
Richard is a renowned cardiologist and electrophysiologist with over 20 years of experience, specializing in the interventional treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. In conjunction with his director role at HeartForce™, Richard served as President of the Swiss Society of Cardiology and was appointed Titular Professor at the University of Zurich in 2021. In 2023, he founded the Cardiopuls Medical Center in Lucerne, following a decade as Chief of Cardiology at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital.
Philipp Shaun Nägeli
Chairman and Managing Director
Philipp is a healthcare analyst specializing in electromechanical signals and sensor technologies. He holds an MSc in Business Development from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Switzerland and brings this combined technical and commercial expertise to HeartForce™.
Jean Godart
Director
Jean is a Luxembourg-based entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience building and leading international businesses. Formerly the global head of air freight on the Executive Board of Kuehne & Nagel, he went on to found and serve as CEO of the ADI Group. Over his 26-year tenure at ADI, he drove global operations across logistics, distribution, trade, and consulting throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Management Team - Switzerland
Henk Meertens
Chief Executive Officer
Henk is a MedTech Executive with extensive global commercial, functional and board experience. A trusted change leader, passionate about improving patients’ lives, enhancing customer experience and simplifying internal operations. Experienced in leading organisational transformations in sales, marketing, offer-to-cash, finance and managing acquisition integrations and divestitures. He successfully managed operations of up to $7,5BN revenue.
During his 33 years career within Medtronic, Henk has held multiple regional and global leadership roles. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and accounting from the H.E.A.O in Sittard (The Netherlands), a certificate in strategic marketing from Michigan State University and a Master of Business Administration from Rotterdam Erasmus University.
Beat Nägeli
Beat is a lifelong entrepreneur and seasoned mechanical engineer with deep expertise in mechanical design. For more than 35 years, he has served as a consultant and angel investor, helping innovative companies grow. He is also the co-founder of HeartForce™ AG.
Philipp Shaun Nägeli
Chairman and Managing Director
Philipp is a healthcare analyst specializing in electromechanical signals and sensor technologies. He holds an MSc in Business Development from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Switzerland and brings this combined technical and commercial expertise to HeartForce™.
Beat Moser
Chartered Accountant
Moniek Haan
Moniek is an experienced marketing and commercial insights leader with over 20 years in the life sciences and MedTech industry. A Dutch native living in Switzerland for over 15 years, she has held (senior) roles at Pfizer, Pearson Clinical Assessments, the European Respiratory Society, and Medtronic. At HeartForce™, she serves as Head of Global Marketing & Commercial Insights, driving brand strategy, market positioning, and go-to-market execution for CardioClin. Moniek holds a Master of Science in Orthopedagogy and a Master in Digital Marketing from Boot Camp Institute.
Management Team - Canada
Kay Jessel
Co-Founder, President & Managing Director
Kay is an economist, asset manager, and investment banker with a strong track record in capital markets and strategic advisory. He has led complex financings, restructurings, and growth transactions for corporations, creditors, and shareholders across multiple jurisdictions.
He has served on the boards of several public and private companies, including Fila Golf Inc., EstUSA Corp., and Dexchange Financial Corp., where he brings a disciplined, value-focused approach to governance and strategy. At HeartForce™, Kay leads Canadian operations, driving growth, partnerships, and capital strategy in one of the company’s core markets.
Kay holds a Diplom-Kaufmann degree from the University of Hamburg, equivalent to an MBA, with a concentration in finance and corporate strategy.
Kiarash Hessami
Chief Financial Officer
Kiarash serves as the Chief Financial Officer at HeartForce™, where he leads all Canadian financial operations, strategic planning, and corporate administration. With nearly a decade of experience scaling startup environments, Kiarash specializes in driving corporate growth through rigorous financial management, IFRS compliance, and investor relations. His expansive career highlights include spearheading due diligence for comprehensive mergers and acquisitions valued at over $250 million. As a strategic partner to executive teams, he brings a proven track record of translating complex financial data into actionable growth and acquisition strategies.
Dr. Farzad Khosrow-khavar
Dr. Farzad Khosrow-khavar is the Chief Technical Officer and principal architect of the technology at HeartForce™, where he directs a multidisciplinary research and development team through the complete life-cycle of AI-driven medical devices. He brings over 15 years of experience analyzing and interpreting physiological signals derived from the heart, focusing on the prevention and detection of diverse cardiac conditions. Throughout his leadership tenure, Farzad has spearheaded global clinical and usability programs , managed secure cloud-based software and hardware sensor systems , and ensured strict compliance with rigorous international medical standards. His expansive professional background ranges from co-founding an industrial firm as President to designing low-level firmware and validating high-precision mathematical software libraries. Farzad holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Simon Fraser University, anchoring his commercial and executive capabilities with an established portfolio of patents and peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Dr. Parastoo Dehkordi
Vice President of Research & Development
Parastoo is responsible for designing clinical studies and developing CAD algorithms and AI software at HeartForce™. Her expertise focuses on analyzing cardiovascular signals. Parastoo holds a master’s degree from Simon Fraser University in Computer Science and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Simon Fraser University.
Daniel Penalo
Software Developer
Daniel holds a BA in Computer Science and is responsible for developing and maintaining HeartForce™’s software architecture and cloud infrastructure. His work focuses on building scalable, efficient systems that power our AI-driven technologies and advance our mission to enable earlier detection and prevention of cardiac disease.
Dr. Zhen Gang Xiao
Zhen focuses on the research and development of HeartForce™’s innovative cardio signal acquisition systems. He has broad expertise in biomedical signal processing, machine learning, and mechatronic design for rehabilitation robotic applications, and is a medical expert. Zhen holds a PhD in Engineering Science from Simon Fraser University.
Nicholas Jessel
Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs Manager
Meha brings over 9 years of deep technical and strategic expertise across R&D, Global Regulatory Affairs, and Quality Assurance to the team. Holding dual Master’s degrees in Regulatory Affairs and Biotechnology, alongside an ISO 13485 Lead Auditor certification, she specializes in building compliant engineering and operational frameworks from the ground up. At HeartForce™, Meha spearheads the design and implementation of the corporate Quality Management System while architecting the global submission pathways for Health Canada, the US FDA, and European markets.
Stephen Urquhart
Business Development
Stephen is a Canadian commercial leader with over 18 years of executive experience in the life sciences and MedTech industries. He has a proven track record of commercializing innovative healthcare solutions across diverse therapeutic areas for multinational organizations. In addition to his corporate roles, Stephen serves in board and leadership positions with MedTech Canada and the Canadian College of Health Leaders. He holds a Bachelor’s degree, an MBA, and the Certified Health Executive (CHE) designation.
Meha Desai
News & Updates
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