Anika Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ANIK), a global joint preservation company in early intervention orthopedics, today announced that it has appointed Steve Griffin as the Company's Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") and Treasurer, effective June 3, 2024. He succeeds Michael Levitz, who has decided to step down as CFO after almost four years with the company. Mr. Levitz will remain with the Company through December 31, 2024, to ensure a smooth transition.
"We are pleased to welcome Steve to Anika as we focus on accelerating our pivot to profitability," said Cheryl Blanchard, Ph.D., Anika's President and CEO. "Steve is an accomplished public company leader whose ability to connect strategic, operational, and financial expertise will be a significant asset for our Company. I am confident that Steve will build on our recent momentum and partner with our operating teams to achieve the meaningful value building potential across the business."
Dr. Blanchard continued, "On behalf of the Anika team, I'd like to thank Mike for his leadership over the past four years. Mike joined Anika in mid-2020 following our two acquisitions. His strategic and operational insights have helped Anika navigate this period of significant change while positioning the Company for an exciting future driven by thoughtful investments in Anika's market-leading hyaluronic acid business and key product developments in the highest opportunity spaces of orthopedics. We are glad to continue benefitting from his expertise through the end of this year and wish him the best."
"Joining Anika represents an exciting opportunity to contribute to a well-established, market-leading organization with a strong track record of developing innovative solutions in the highest opportunity spaces in orthopedics," said Mr. Griffin. "I look forward to partnering with Cheryl and the talented Anika team to unlock new opportunities with its significant pipeline of differentiated product lines to deliver sustainable, profitable growth."
"I'm very thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of the Anika team," said Mr. Levitz. "The Company has navigated a challenging period and made meaningful strides, including thoughtful investments as well as targeted cost reductions that together have strengthened its core OA business, advanced a meaningful portfolio and pipeline of differentiated products leveraging Anika's HA expertise, and maintained a healthy financial position. I am confident this progress will continue with Steve guiding our talented team and look forward to following Anika's success for years to come."