Our Team

Kristina is the CEO of Orthonika, bringing over a decade of experience in the medical device industry with a focus on orthopaedics and biomechanics. She holds a PhD from Imperial College London, undertaking research on the biomechanics of a meniscus prosthesis under the guidance of Professors Andrew Amis and Daniele Dini. Kristina also holds an MSc in Biomedical Engineering with Distinction from Imperial College London and a First Class BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Malta. She was previously involved in designing and prototyping a low-wearing novel hip joint prosthesis for the Malta Hip Project leading to the FUSION Programme award (now incorporated as Garland Surgical Ltd). At Orthonika, Kristina spearheads research and development of the TMR, overseeing pre-clinical testing and in vivo animal studies, and driving progress toward clinical trials.

Dominique is COO at Orthonika since co-founding the company in 2015. She has wide experience of product, business and company development, starting as a Research Scientist for Unilever in the team that launched Clear Blue diagnostics through its Unipath subsidiary. She was Business Development Manager for GSK’s Wellcome Diagnostics subsidiary, licensing-in new product lines and transitioning the business through acquisition by Murex and subsequent 10x sale to Abbott. In 1999 she joined Imperial Innovations to build a portfolio of spin-outs such as Acrobot (sold to Stryker) and Protexeon (sold to Air Products) and became Head of Life Sciences Technology Transfer in anticipation of the company’s IPO in 2006. In 2009 she left Imperial to become CEO at London Genetics, raising £2m to deliver pharmacogenetic services in clinical development, and has since worked in various biotech executive and non-executive roles, including 2 years on the board of the BioIndustry Association and 5 years as a Trustee of the Genetics Society. She holds a BSc in Life Sciences and an MBA with a focus on Technology Entrepreneurship from Imperial College London. She is an LESi Certified Licensing Professional.

Oli joined Orthonika in April 2022 as a biomedical engineer after PhD research in the field of knee replacement, focusing on in vitro comparison of partial knee implants to total knee arthroplasty. His research involved cadaveric modelling of the performance of different implant designs and surgical techniques, and included the development of patient specific instrumentation and novel experimental methods. Collaborating with Prof. Justin Cobb and Prof. Andrew Amis, along other Imperial College researchers, this research has produced a healthy body of publications in the field. Before his PhD, Oli worked in industry, developing an external foot prosthesis for lower limb amputees. He gained his MEng from the University of Bristol, completing a Master’s dissertation on the biomechanics of walking.

Sean joined Orthonika in March 2023 as a biomedical engineer, after gaining his PhD and conducting postdoctoral research at University College London in the field of orthopaedic implants. His research initially focused on the tribological performance of these devices, particularly the wear of hip replacements and its clinical impact. In collaboration with leading orthopaedic surgeons and industry partners, the focus of his work progressed to the design and computational modelling of additively manufactured implants, covering both conventional and patient specific devices. Sean also holds a first-class MEng degree in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Sheffield, after completing a master’s project on the design of synthetic testbeds for evaluating vascular catheters.

Sam joined Orthonika in July 2023 as a biomedical engineer after spending time in the surgical robotics industry at CMR Surgical. His main focus was on the improvement and reliability of surgical instrumentation, delivering tangible mechanical and electrosurgery upgrades across a suite of instruments. Prior to that, Sam achieved a First Class MEng degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Warwick, completing a Master’s project on the design of a handheld biopsy device.