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 an accomplished Luxembourg-based entrepreneur with more than 40 years
of proven experience in building and leading international businesses. For 26 years,
he served as founder, owner, and CEO of the ADI Group of Companies, overseeing
operations in Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), the Netherlands, the
United Kingdom, and Kenya across logistics, distribution, trade, and consulting.
Before establishing his own group, Jean was a member of the Executive Board of
Kuehne & Nagel Management AG in Schindellegi, Switzerland, where he was
responsible for the global air freight division.
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 a seasoned economist, asset manager, and investment banker with a strong track record in capital markets and strategic advisory. He has executed complex financings, restructurings, and growth transactions for corporations, creditors, and equity holders across multiple jurisdictions.
He has served on the boards of several public and private companies in North America and Europe, including Fila Golf, EstUSA, Final Bell Holdings, and Biokronix, bringing a disciplined, value-oriented perspective to governance and strategy.
As co-founder of Melchior Kapital AG, a leading Swiss-German venture capital and asset management firm, Kay helped raise more than $250 million from global investors, backing high-potential companies at key inflection points.
At HeartForce, Kay leads Canadian operations, driving growth, partnerships, and capital strategy in one of the company’s key markets.
Kay holds a Diplom-Kaufmann degree from the University of Hamburg, broadly equivalent to an MBA, with a focus on finance and corporate strategy.
Kiarash Hessami
Kiarash is responsible for all the Canadian financial operations at HeartForce™. He brings over 8 years of experience working in startup companies and managing financial operations, and has experience completing mergers and acquisitions of public and private companies valued at over $250M. Kiarash has previously secured over $60M in capital raising activities for both public and private companies.
Dr. Farzad Khosrow-khavar
Farzad is the principal architect of the technology at HeartForce™, where he leads the Research and Development team as the Chief Technical Officer. He has 15 years of experience in analyzing and interpreting physiological signals derived from the heart, with a focus on preventing cardiac disease. Farzad holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Simon Fraser University.
Dr. Parastoo Dehkordi
Director of AI and Algorithm Design
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
Director of Finance and Investor Relations
Nicholas manages the financial forecasting and investor relations at HeartForce™. He holds a BCom with a specialization in Finance and Economics from the University of Toronto. He has also completed all of the CFA exams.
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