Mauna Kea Technologies' management team

Mauna Kea Technologies has assembled a team of experts from various domains to overcome the hurdles that have impeded clinical research and treatment for decades. Along with their exceptional technical expertise, each member of our management team possesses the strong team building and organizational skills that enable Mauna Kea Technologies’ multidisciplinary approach to thrive.

Sacha Loiseau, Ph.D., President and CEO. Founder.
After graduating from the École Polytechnique, Sacha started his carreer at the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) in Toulouse and at the Paris Observatory, where he acquired a Ph.D. in Astrophysics and Astronomical Instrumentation summa cum laude. Sacha then collaborated as a scientist at the Harvard Center for Astrophysics as well as at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, which he joined later as a member of the Interferometry Center of Excellence. He worked on one of NASA’s cornerstone space missions. After a few years at JPL, he moved back to Paris in 2000 to found Mauna Kea Technologies.

Chris Tihansky, President, Cellvizio,Inc.
Chris became President of Cellvizio, Inc., MKT’s US subsidiary, in January 2008. He brings 20 years of industry experience to MKT. He started his career as a project engineer designing orthopedic implants for Techmedica and later was an independent sales representative for various orthopedic companies. In the mid-90’s, Chris was Senior Healthcare Analyst at Genesis Merchant Group, an investment banking firm based in San Francisco. He then worked for Telefex Medical where he was appointed Vice President and General Manager for the surgical instrument business. In 2003, Chris joined Surgical Services, Inc, where he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer. He earned an MBA from the University of San Diego, an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University.

Tharcisse Carl, Vice President, Operations
Tharcisse brings 20 years of technical and manufacturing experience in the medical device market. Confronted to multiple international manufacturing platforms, he promoted and implemented lean manufacturing concepts accross various organization sizes. Tharcisse was general manager of medical device plants located in France, Malaysia, Germany and Slovakia between 1990 and 2002. He most recently served as Vice President Manufacturing for Teleflex Medical, covering Europe, Asia and South-America. Tharcisse received an Engineering education at the French Ecole Centrale (Lyon) and the German Technische Hochshule (Darmstadt).

François Lacombe, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer
Prior to joining MKT, François spent 14 years working on major international astronomical projects such as ISOCAM, ADONIS and most recently NAOS, the adaptive optics system for the Very Large Telescope in Chile. He is the author on more than 150 scientific papers. François has been collaborating with MKT since 2000 and joined full time in 2005. François is a graduate of École Normale Supérieure and holds a Ph.D. in Astrophysics.

Véronique Dentan, Ph.D., Chief Technical Officer
Véronique is the former R&D Manager for Optical Components at Photonetics, a USD 1.5B telecom components company that was acquired by Nettest. Before that, Véronique was the
Head of the Organic Materials laboratory at the Thales Central Laboratory. Véronique is a graduate of the Ecole Supérieure d'Optique and holds a PhD in Non-Linear Optics.

Christophe Archier, Director of Manufacturing
Chris joined MKT in 2004. Prior to joining MKT, Chris managed technical and industrial projects both in France while with Thomson-CSF and in the U.S. while with Microvision, successfully implementing optical, endoscopic and scanning technology solutions. Chris has an engineering diploma from Université Paris Sud.

Caroline Garnier, Director, Administration and Finance
Caroline brings 25 years of experience in accounting and finance to MKT. Prior to joining MKT in 2004, Caroline was Chief Financial Officer of Apria, a 1,500 person Healthcare organization serving more than 1.5 million beneficiaries. Before that, she held the position of Chief Accountant and then Chief Auditor at Guerbet. Caroline is a graduate of Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Reims and holds a degree in Accounting.

Corinne Jaglin, Director, Human Resources
With a diploma of Sciences Po Bordeaux, a Master in Human Resources Management and a Master 2 in Coaching, Corinne spent 15 years in Aventis group, starting as a Personnel Manager in 1991 and reaching the position of HR Director for France and West Indies in 2001. First in the field of vaccine, then the larger one of medicine, Corinne’s experience in the medical environment is an asset for Mauna Kea Technologies, which she joins in 2007 as Human Resources Director.