Chief Executive Officer TJ Johnson to assume role of Executive Chairman at the end of first quarter 2019
John Lubniewski, President and Chief Operating Officer, appointed as successor
TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HTG Molecular Diagnostics, Inc. (Nasdaq: HTGM) (HTG), a life science company whose mission is to advance precision medicine, today announced a leadership transition plan in which TJ Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of HTG will assume the role of Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of HTG. John Lubniewski, President and Chief Operating Officer will succeed Mr. Johnson as Chief Executive Officer, and Dr. Ann Hanham, Ph.D. will assume the role of Lead Independent Director at the end of the first quarter 2019.
“TJ has been a tremendous leader and a passionate advocate during his 11 years as CEO of the company. His strategic vision and steadfast guidance have put HTG on a path of growth for years to come,” said Ann Hanham, Ph.D., Chair of HTG’s Board of Directors. “We are pleased to have another proven executive within HTG ready to lead the Company and continue to execute our strategy seamlessly through this transition. John has been with HTG since 2011, participated in the public financing of the company and knows the business, the markets and customers very well. He and TJ share a vision for the company, and we are thrilled to have TJ remain on the Board as our Executive Chair.”
TJ Johnson, CEO of HTG added, “It has been a tremendous honor to lead this incredibly talented team, and I couldn’t be more pleased to have John be named as my successor. John is a well-respected executive, who has shown tremendous leadership qualities and has been a trusted “co-pilot” with me over the many years I have known him. HTG is on solid footing, the management team is firmly in place, and I think now is an ideal time for me to step into the Executive Chair role where I can and will continue to focus on strategic growth and business development opportunities for HTG while supporting John and the team. I have full confidence in a seamless transition.”
“TJ has been an incredible mentor over the years and I’m excited to step into the role of CEO. I look forward to continuing to build upon our successes and executing on our strategic plan, while benefitting from TJ’s continued support as Executive Chair,” said John Lubniewski, President and Chief Operating Officer of HTG. “We have an extraordinary team and tremendous market opportunity in delivering personalized medicine solutions to improve patient care with our highly differentiated next-generation sequencing-based products.”
Mr. Lubniewski has served as President and Chief Operating Officer since April 2018. He joined HTG in 2011 as Chief Business Officer and has been instrumental in establishing HTG’s growing customer base and building its key partnerships. Prior to HTG, Mr. Lubniewski served in several leadership roles at Ventana, a medical diagnostics company and member of the Roche Group and global headquarters of Roche Tissue Diagnostics. During his time at Ventana, Mr. Lubniewski was SVP and Life Cycle Leader for Platforms and Clinical Assays, Head of Global Marketing and led Ventana’s Pharma partnership business. Prior to Ventana, Mr. Lubniewski spent over a decade working at Corning, Inc. in a variety of roles, including divisional, sector, and corporate sales and marketing roles. Mr. Lubniewski earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University.
About HTG:
HTG is focused on next generation sequencing (NGS) based molecular profiling. The company’s proprietary HTG EdgeSeq technology automates complex, highly multiplexed molecular profiling from solid and liquid samples, even when limited in amount. HTG’s customers use its technology to identify biomarkers important for precision medicine, to understand the clinical relevance of these discoveries, and ultimately to identify treatment options. Our mission is to empower precision medicine at the local level.
Safe Harbor Statement:
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about our newly appointed director and her expected benefits to us and the capabilities of our technology. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “will,” “goal,” “potential” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements necessarily contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based upon management’s current expectations, are subject to known and unknown risks, and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the risk that our products and services may not be adopted by biopharmaceutical companies or other customers as anticipated, or at all; our ability to manufacture our products to meet demand; the level and availability of first party payor reimbursement for our products; our ability to effectively manage our anticipated growth; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights and proprietary technologies; our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights and proprietary technology of first parties; competition in our industry; additional capital and credit availability; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; and product liability claims. These and other factors are described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including without limitation our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2018. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made, and we undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
CONTACT: Contact: Ashley R. Robinson LifeSci Advisors, LLC Phone: (617) 535-7742 Email: arr@lifesciadvisors.com TJ Johnson Chief Executive Officer HTG Molecular Diagnostics Email: tjjohnson@htgmolecular.com