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, health care IT, medical devices, and diagnostics.

Gwen has been active in the life sciences sector for more than 29 years. Previously, she served as the General Manager and Vice President of US Robotics for Smith and Nephew and as the Corporate Vice President of Global Corporate Development, Strategy and Strategic Relationships at Teleflex 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, Bacchus Vascular, and AneuRx, all three of which were medical device companies later acquired by larger strategic players. In addition, Gwen has been general partner of several private equity entities. Gwen currently serves on the board of Compute Health and is an observer on the board of Augmedics.

Gwen holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, as well as an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She also holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she simultaneously completed her pre-med requirements.