ReShape Lifesciences Appoints Seasoned Sales and Marketing Executive, Nick Ansari, as Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Operations


SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Aug. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ReShape Lifesciences™ (Nasdaq: RSLS), the premier physician-led weight loss and metabolic health solutions company, today announced that the company has appointed Nick Ansari as Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Operations, effective September 6, 2022. Mr. Ansari, who, from 2014 to 2019 was Senior Vice President Global Sales for Enteromedics, the predecessor company to Reshape, will be responsible for strengthening the executional efficiencies of the sales and marketing team, worldwide. In this role, he will report directly to Mr. Paul F. Hickey, ReShape’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“Nick is a proven executive who, during his 30 year career, has built a track record of successfully developing and executing sales initiatives that drive commercial revenue and strengthen market share for emerging and global medical device companies. This includes his past successes, not only at Enteromedics, but also at Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic and Stryker Corporation, among others,” stated Mr. Hickey. “Given his depth of relationships, the reputation he has achieved and the knowledge he possesses from his prior experience with Enteromedics, we are confident that Nick’s leadership will positively impact continued global sales growth of the Lap-Band®. Nick will play a critical role on the ReShape team as we execute on our goal of becoming the global leader in physician-led weight loss and metabolic health solutions, with a comprehensive, integrated slate of products and services.”

“The reversible, anatomy-sparing Lap-Band®, which has been implanted in more than one million patients, globally, over the last 20 years, has proven itself to be a safe and effective approach for weight loss and I look forward to bringing the full breadth of my experience to this position in order to further expand the visibility of the Lap-Band® Program and ReShape’s comprehensive suite of weight loss solutions to both consumers and bariatric surgeons, worldwide,” added Mr. Ansari.

Prior to joining Reshape, since November 2020, Mr. Ansari was the Chief Commercial Officer and General Manager of Biedermann-Motech Inc., a mid-sized, international, family owned and operated group of companies focused on the development, production and distribution of innovative implants and instruments for spinal and extremity surgery. From August 2019 until November 2020, he was Executive Vice President – Sales & Marketing at Biocell Spine Consulting, Inc. where he was responsible for commercializing the company’s innovative neuromodulation device for peripheral pain. Before that, from January 2015 until July 2019, he was Senior Vice President Global Sales at Enteromedics, during which time he led a 700% increase in device sales and was a key member of the executive due diligence team responsible for purchasing the Lap-Band® business. Before that, from January 2013 to January 2015, he was President/Exclusive Biomet-Lanx Distributor at Biocell Spine, LLC, and for three years prior to that, served in positions of increasing responsibility at Lanx, Inc., a spine orthopedic medical device manufacturer, subsequently acquired by Zimmer Biomet. Earlier in his career, Mr. Ansari honed his sales and distributorship skills at companies including Globus Medical, Inc., Biomet Orthopaedics Inc. (now Zimmer Biomet), Medtronic Sofamor-Danek, Johnson & Johnson DePuy Ortho Tech (now DePuy Synthes) and Stryker Corporation. Mr. Ansari holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Winthrop University.

About ReShape Lifesciences™
ReShape Lifesciences™ is the premier global weight loss and metabolic health-solutions company, offering an integrated portfolio of physician-led, proven products and services that manage and treat obesity and metabolic disease. The FDA-approved Lap-Band® Program provides minimally invasive, long-term treatment of obesity and is an alternative to more invasive surgical stapling procedures such as the gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. The ReShape Vest™ System is an investigational (outside the U.S.) minimally invasive, laparoscopically implanted medical device that wraps around the stomach, emulating the gastric volume reduction effect of conventional weight-loss surgery. It helps enable rapid weight loss in obese and morbidly obese patients without permanently changing patient anatomy. reshapecare™ is a virtual weight-management program that supports lifestyle changes for all weight-loss patients led by board certified health coaches to help them keep the weight off over time. The recently launched ReShape Marketplace™ is an online collection of quality wellness products curated for all consumers to help them achieve their health goals. For more information, please visit www.reshapelifesciences.com

Forward-Looking Safe Harbor Statement
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "could," "may," "intend," "will," "continue," "future," other words of similar meaning and the use of future dates. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements about our expectation that the marketing campaign should continue to promote increased demand for Lap-Band® procedures and, thus, potentially a significant increase in revenues for ReShape. These and additional risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors identified as "risk factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We are providing this information as of the date of this press release and do not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACTS
ReShape Lifesciences Investor Contact:
Thomas Stankovich
Chief Financial Officer
949-276-6042
ir@ReShapeLifesci.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Rx Communications Group
Michael Miller
(917)-633-6086
mmiller@rxir.com