COMPANY MILESTONES
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1989
Peter Ford identifies damaged muscles still emit electrical signals.
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1998–2000
First clinical trials on patients using EMG signals, Houston Hospital, Texas
Peter Ford meets James Schorey and begins work on Neuroswitch EMG concept and hardware.
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2001–2003
Stephen Hawking uses Neuroswitch technology for the first time to control his wheelchair.
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2003–2004
Shane Coburn successfully uses Neuroswitch after bus accident in New Zealand leaves him a quadriplegic.
Control Bionics is incorporated. First international patents lodged and first sale.
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2005
French Physicist, Roger Caravon, suffering from ALS, starts using Neuroswitch.
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2006
New pocket-sized Neuroswitch educator and improved G3 software launched.
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2007
USA Veterans’ Association approves full funding of Neuroswitch. Professor Nick Rowe, world authority on MND and Parkinson’s Disease, endorses CB technology and assists with R&D.
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2007
Gary Griffin USAF (Ret) is first funded VA recipient of Neuroswitch. Dallas PD SWAT Team Commander, Lt Carlton Marshall, uses Neuroswitch in first months of recovery from a gunshot wound.
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2008
ALS patient, Nick McLoughlin, controls his wheelchair for the first time.
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2009
Cerebral palsy patient, Michael Phillips, uses Neuroswitch to play video games.
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2010
Control Bionics gains USA FDA approval for Neuroswitch.
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2011
US Marine, Carlo Russo, says Neuroswitch saved his life after a heart attack because he could still write love letters to his wife.
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2013
Launch of Bluetooth Neuroswitch with new chip and latest Gen 8 monitoring software.
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2014
Glen Sargood, communicates with his wife for the first time in four years after contracting MND.
Control Bionics acquires James Schorey’s business, TAI, and its hardware intellectual property. James becomes COO of Control Bionics. Peter Ford nominated for Senior Australian of the Year.
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2015
Janet Abraham, confined by ALS, uses Neuroswitch Bluetooth® to communicate.
Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) approves full funding for Neuroswitch. Peter Ford presents at World Medical Innovation Conference in Boston.
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2016
Control Bionics launches revolutionary NeuroNode wireless communications technology.
CONTROL BIONICS BOARD
Peter Ford
Founder and Director of Innovation
For some people, Peter’s face may be familiar from his time as a CNN news anchor. But Peter’s real passion has always been bionics and robotics. In particular, he was inspired by the potential to help free one of the world’s great minds, Stephen Hawking.
In 1989, Peter identified that the patients’ damaged muscles still emitted small electrical signals that could be used to reliably control basic computer functions. And with that, Control Bionics was born.
Roger Hawke
Chairman
Roger has over 30 years of experience in the telecommunications and technology space, having recently retired after 8 years as CEO & Managing Director of Crown Castle Australia/Axicom, and brings a high level of experience particularly in Technology, Operations, Sales and Management.
Roger holds BEng (SAIT), MES (Sydney) and MBA (Macquarie) degrees and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Roger joined the Board of Control Bionics in October 2018.
Rob Wong
CEO
Rob Wong is the Chief Executive Officer for Control Bionics. He holds a Bachelor of Business and an MBA from Melbourne University. Rob has over 25 years of experience with multinational businesses in senior management, marketing, and operational roles. He is also an entrepreneur and angel investor having been involved with several successful tech start-up businesses. He formerly held the position of CEO at AIMIA Digital Industry Association of Australia.
Rob joined Control Bionics in early 2017 and he has led the way in developing their latest product, the NeuroNode Trilogy. Rob has spent much of his time with Control Bionics presenting to industry leaders, forming research and development relations, and working hands-on with clients across the world.
Lindsay Philips
Board Member
As a highly-experienced private equity fund Managing Director and Chairman, Lindsay is a key member of the Control Bionics’ leadership team. Lindsay first invested in Control Bionics in 2005.
Lindsay was Managing Director of Lazard Australia Private Equity from 2007 to 2012. Since 2012 Lindsay has been Chairman of Phoenix Development Fund and Nightingale Partners. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia.
Bill McMurray
Board Member
Bill has over 30 years of experience in the software & technology industry and is currently the CEO for Qualtrics Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ). He has held executive management roles across Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and the United States. His career highlights include; MD (ANZ) at CA Technologies; SVP & GM (APJ) at IDS Scheer; VP Sales & Marketing (Worldwide) at IONA Technologies; as well as senior roles at PTC, Seer Technologies and IBM.
Bill brings to Control Bionics a strong global sales and marketing perspective on growing and adapting businesses quickly across borders and cultures.
Daniel Barrins
Company Secretary
Daniel is an Investment Director at Nightingale Private Equity. He is an experienced investment professional with a strong track record in assisting growth businesses and start-ups. He brings strong management and governance support to Control Bionics.
Daniel holds a Bachelor of Laws from Monash University, an M.B.A. from the University of Melbourne and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
CONTROL BIONICS OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT
Rob Wong
CEO
Rob Wong is the Chief Executive Officer for Control Bionics. He holds a Bachelor of Business and an MBA from Melbourne University. Rob has over 25 years of experience with multinational businesses in senior management, marketing, and operational roles. He is also an entrepreneur and angel investor having been involved with several successful tech start-up businesses. He formerly held the position of CEO at AIMIA Digital Industry Association of Australia.
Rob joined Control Bionics in early 2017 and he has led the way in developing their latest product, the NeuroNode Trilogy. Rob has spent much of his time with Control Bionics presenting to industry leaders, forming research and development relations, and working hands-on with clients across the world.
James Schorey
Chief Technology Officer
James began his career at Therapeutic Technologies Inc. (TTI) as a software engineer. In ten years at TTI he rose through the ranks to become Director of Engineering, managing three FDA-registered Class II medical devices. He then went on to become the President of Therapeutic Alliances, a leader in the field of rehabilitation for paralyzed individuals.
In 2014 James joined the Control Bionics team and now serves as the Chief Technology Officer. He is the driving force behind the design and development of the NeuroNode and all of the Control Bionics product lines.
Emily Boland
NeuroNode
Product Director
Emily joined the Control Bionics team in 2013 and now serves as the NeuroNode Product Director. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning (DAAP). Over the years her interests have ranged from design and marketing research to resourcing and product development.
Emily has helped shape the current Control Bionics product line and support model. She is proud to lead a cross-functional, client-facing team.
Meagan Koeneman
Sales Director
Meagan Koeneman is director of Sales for Control Bionics. She directs all sales strategies, partners with organizations to grow product awareness, and leads field sales activities. After spending nearly a decade supporting people and families with disabilities, Meagan believes that the key to strong sales partnerships lies in the human connection. Being genuinely curious, empathetic, and customer-centric drives our conversations and creates the value at the heart of this team.
Meagan holds a BA in Speech & Hearing Sciences from Indiana University. She currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband and 3 children.