Gwen Watanabe Managing Director

Gwen is a Managing Director of H.I.G. HealthBridge Partners, focusing on investment opportunities in the life sciences sector, including biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical enabling technology, and diagnostics.

Gwen has been active in the life sciences sector for more than 30 years. Previously, she served as the General Manager and Vice President of Robotics for Smith and Nephew (NYSE: SNN) and as the Corporate Vice President of Global Corporate Development, Strategy and Strategic Relationships at Teleflex (NYSE: TFX) where, for eight years, she presided over all global acquisitions. Gwen joined Teleflex as a result of Teleflex’s acquisition of Hotspur Technologies, a company Gwen co-founded and served as President and Chief Executive Officer. Gwen was also a co-founder of Nellix Endovascular (acquired by Endologix NASDAQ: ELGX), Bacchus Vascular (acquired by Covidien NYSE: COV) and AneuRx (acquired by Medtronic NYSE: MDT).

Gwen has also been general partner of several private equity entities. She served on the board of Compute Health Acquisition Corporation (NYSE: CPUH), now Allurion Technologies (NYSE: ALUR), which was acquired by BioVentus (NASDAQ: BVS). Gwen also serves as a member on the University of Pennsylvania HealthTech Strategic Advisory Board and a member of HeartFelt Dreams not for profit board.

Gwen holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, as well as an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.