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 has served as Managing Director of Heart Force AG since 2016, bringing extensive experience as a healthcare analyst with a focus on electromechanical signals and sensor technologies. His background includes sales and operations roles across pacemakers and medical sensors. Philipp holds an MSc in Business Development from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Switzerland.
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 experience. A trusted leader, passionate about improving patients’ lives, enhancing customer experience and simplifying internal operations. Experienced in leading organisational transformations in sales, marketing, 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 an MBA from Rotterdam Erasmus University.
Beat Nägeli
Beat is a lifelong entrepreneur and mechanical engineer with deep expertise in mechanical design and product development. Since 1990, he has provided corporate finance and management services to early-stage and start-up companies as a consultant and angel investor. Beat co-founded Heart Force AG and has led financing efforts for HeartForce since its earliest stages. He was appointed to the Board of Heart Force Medical Inc. in 2017 and elected Chairman later that year.
Philipp Shaun Nägeli
Chairman and Managing Director
Philipp has served as Managing Director of Heart Force AG since 2016, bringing extensive experience as a healthcare analyst with a focus on electromechanical signals and sensor technologies. His background includes sales and operations roles across pacemakers and medical sensors. Philipp holds an MSc in Business Development from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Switzerland.
Beat Moser
Chartered Accountant
Beat has over 30 years of experience as a financial and accounting expert. Beat has held multiple leadership positions in finance and accounting, serving as a board member and CEO for various companies worldwide, and is a licensed Certified Accountant (CA).
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 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, 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
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 M&As. 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
Farzad is the CTO 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. 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
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. She also writes our publications and leads our conferences. Parastoo has a masters in Computer Science from Simon Fraser University and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of British Columbia.
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, CFA
Director of Finance and Investor Relations
Nicholas leads financial forecasting, valuations, and North American investor relations at HeartForce. He structured and led the HFM/HFAG amalgamation and is leading a North American capital raise. Nicholas holds a BCom with a specialization in Finance and Economics from the University of Toronto and is a CFA charterholder.
Stephen Urquhart
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
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.
Mahan Rahimi
Mahan is responsible for researching, prototyping, and deploying machine learning and deep learning algorithms at HeartForce. Her expertise lies in applied AI development, biological data pipelines, and building predictive technical models for clinical applications. Mahan holds a MASc in Engineering Science from Simon Fraser University and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of British Columbia.
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