Earlens Corp Inc, Menlo Park, Calif, has announced that Philip Lyons, previously the VP of International Operations at Starkey Hearing Technologies, is joining the company as Earlens’ Senior VP of Sales and Professional Education.
Philip Lyons
For the past 26 years Lyons served Starkey in various sales and management positions throughout the company—from the Midwest of the United States to over 100 export countries around the world. Most recently he was responsible for sales, market development, and management of the International team. Under his leadership, the international group at Starkey has reportedly led the company’s growth since 2007 with over 31% growth in revenue. For 21 years he also managed Starkey’s relationship with the American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO-HNS), the professional organization for ENTs who are key stakeholders for the Earlens device. Lyons received his degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota.
At EarLens, Lyons will be responsible for the development and execution of Earlens’ Sales and Professional Education programs. He joins another notable former Starkey VP, Brent Edwards, who joined Earlens in 2014 as chief technology officer (CTO). Earlens was established in 2005 by co-founder Rodney Perkins, MD, the serial entrepreneur who, in the hearing healthcare industry, helped found ReSound, Sound ID Bluetooth Personal Sound System, and the SoundHawk personal sound amplification product (PSAP). The privately held medical device company has developed the Earlens Light-Driven Hearing Aid, the first hearing device to use light to transmit sound. The Earlens Hearing Aid reportedly enables delivery of the broadest frequency range on the market (from 125-10,000 Hz) while minimizing feedback. It is not currently marketed for sale. However, in late 2015, the FDA granted a De Novo allowing Earlens to market their Light-Driven Hearing Aid. Current plans are to commercialize the product in the second quarter of this year.
“Phil brings to Earlens a wealth of experience in both the hearing technology industry and the sales field,” said Bill Facteau, president and CEO of Earlens. “We have a revolutionary product and we are excited to have a strong leader like Phil to ensure that our product gets in the hands of people who can benefit from the full spectrum of sound.”
