Element Science, the health technology company behind the Jewel Patch Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator, has announced four strategic executive appointments spanning commercial strategy, operations, finance and human resources. The hires are designed to give the San Francisco-based company the leadership depth it needs as it moves toward broader commercialization of its flagship cardiac device.
Building Out the Leadership Bench
Paul Mandina joins as Chief Revenue Officer with more than two decades of medtech commercial leadership. He most recently served as VP of U.S. Sales at Medtronic, where he grew a $500 million portfolio into double-digit growth, and previously built and scaled sales teams at Nevro, St. Jude Medical and Intuitive Surgical. He will now shape Element Science's commercial strategy and market expansion capabilities.
Mark Hughes steps in as Chief Operating Officer, arriving from iRhythm, where he led operations through a major phase of commercial scaling. His manufacturing and supply chain background is expected to be central to guiding Element Science through early U.S. commercialization.
Eric Samuels takes on the Chief Financial Officer role, bringing financial and operational leadership experience from iRhythm and Intel. He will oversee the build-out of the company's financial and operational foundation to support long-term growth.
Rounding out the appointments, Cheeka Trikha joins as Head of People and Organization from Cognite, where she led People Business Partnering. She also held senior HR roles at SAP, iRhythm and Confluent, and brings a mix of medtech and organizational scaling expertise as the company continues to grow its workforce.
"Element Science is entering an exciting new phase" as the company builds the organization needed to commercialize Jewel Patch and enter its next stage of growth, says CEO Doug Devine.— DOUG DEVINE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ELEMENT SCIENCE
What It Means for the Jewel Patch
Devine notes that the new executives each bring proven track records from some of medtech's most successful companies, and that together their decades of scaling experience will strengthen Element Science's ability to execute, innovate and expand access to Jewel while advancing its mission to redefine care for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest.
The Jewel Patch is a prescription wearable cardioverter defibrillator designed for patients 18 and older who are at risk of sudden cardiac arrest but are not candidates for, or decline, an implantable defibrillator. It is initially aimed at more than 850,000 patients across the U.S. and Europe who face an elevated, temporary risk of a potentially lethal heart rhythm.
The leadership expansion follows Element Science's recognition by Fast Company as one of the World's Most Innovative Companies of 2026, and comes as the company continues building out the team and capabilities needed to bring its device to a wider patient population.