About Our Name
Locust Walk is the central artery of the University of Pennsylvania campus, a well-known, tree-lined brick pathway connecting members of the Penn community to the physical buildings of the campus. Locust Walk brings together that same confluence of high energy, creativity and collaboration, all grounded in real-world experience.
These attributes are unique hallmarks of Locust Walk’s approach to transaction, strategy and commercial advisory work for life sciences companies. We bring to partnering and strategic consulting engagements a rare combination of operating, commercial, financial and technical acumen. This approach is the Locust Walk difference.
Locust Walk Expands Medtech Team with the Appointment of Howard Hechler
BOSTON, March 4, 2019—Today, we announced the appointment of Howard Hechler as Vice President of Medtech. Based in our firm’s Boston, MA office, Mr. Hechler will be responsible for sourcing and executing licensing, M&A, and financing transactions for medical technology companies worldwide. He will report to Hunt Henrie, Managing Director and Global Head of Medtech.
“Howard is a perfect fit for Locust Walk and our medtech clients. He brings to the firm a combination of market assessment strategy capabilities, operating experience, and a lengthy deal sheet having worked with both emerging and large medtech and biopharma companies across therapeutic areas and care settings,” commented Hunt Henrie.
Mr. Hechler brings to Locust Walk more than 15 years of focused life sciences M&A and commercial strategy experience in medical devices, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, and drug-device combination products. Prior to joining Locust Walk, he served as Chief Business Officer for PolarityTE, a regenerative medicine company, where he was responsible for business development, marketing, sales, and market access/reimbursement strategies.
Mr. Hechler began his career as a consultant for life science strategy consulting firm Campbell Alliance, then transitioned to XL TechGroup, where he assisted and grew portfolio companies, including point-of-care diagnostics, antimicrobials, and cardiac care. Subsequent to his time there, Mr. Hechler founded his own life-sciences consulting firm, Obliquity Consulting, where he advised seed-stage companies on commercial strategy and financing. He also worked in Business Development for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, where he closed multiple co-promotions, financings, and divestitures. Mr. Hechler then spent five years at Medtronic, running business development for the Surgical Technologies Business Unit, and enjoyed a brief stint at Smith & Nephew, where he focused on orthopedics and wound care.
“What attracted me to Locust Walk was the realization that they are a different kind of firm, dedicated to telling our clients what they need to hear, even if it isn’t what they always want to hear. Honesty, integrity, and a focus on client needs, that’s what brought me to Locust Walk.” Hechler went on to say, “The firm also has the perfect combination of broad and deep life sciences capabilities that I haven’t seen anywhere else. I can’t wait to add in my own expertise, and leverage all of Locust Walk to grow and assist the medtech community.”
Medtech Capabilities at Locust Walk
Locust Walk provides the guidance and resources required for medtech companies to advance to the next level in their growth trajectory—from assessing their first product to building a portfolio to gaining access to the public markets. Our team’s deep industry experience and relationships enable us to help medtech companies scale up through rigorous assessment and analysis as well as connectivity with funding sources, strategic partners, and M&A targets. For more information on Locust Walk’s medtech capabilities, please visit: https://www.locustwalk.com/our-clients/medtech.
About Locust Walk
Locust Walk is a global life science transaction firm. Our integrated team-based approach across capabilities, geographies, and industry segments delivers the right products, the right partners, and the most attractive sources of capital to get the right deals done for biopharma and medtech companies.
- Capabilities – cohesive strategy, market analytics, and transaction capabilities
- Geographies – global footprint across all key life science geographies
- Industry Segments – comprehensive coverage across biopharma and medtech segments
For more information on Locust Walk or to contact a deal team member, please visit www.locustwalk.com.