leadership

Houston – September 28, 2026 -- The Inner Circle has named Patryk Kania, a Chief Executive Officer in the orthopaedic healthcare sector, as a Lifetime Member in recognition of his leadership and industry contributions.

Kania brings 21 years of healthcare executive experience to orthopaedic services leadership

Kania has spent more than two decades in healthcare leadership roles, spanning both established enterprises and startup ventures. As CEO, he directs strategy for orthopaedic services organizations, with a focus on operational performance, growth initiatives, and patient-care outcomes.

Executive holds a master's degree from Simon Fraser University's Beedie School of Business

Kania's academic credentials include a master's degree from the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, which he credits as foundational to his approach to business strategy and organizational development in healthcare.

MINNEAPOLIS – September 23, 2026 -- The Minnesota Dental Association (MDA) installed six new officers and two new trustees during its Leadership Conference on September 18 in Shoreview, formally launching the 2026-2027 governance term.

Dr. John Noack takes over as MDA president for the 2026-2027 term.

Dr. Noack, of Professional Dental Group in Northfield, assumes the top leadership post. Dr. Aruna Rao of Koala Dental Care in St. Cloud was installed as president-elect, positioning her to succeed Noack next term.

Five additional officers complete the new executive slate.

Dr. Loren Taple of Northwood Dental in Eagan was named first vice president, and Dr. Nathan Pedersen of Dental Health Service in Hibbing was named second vice president. Dr. Brandon Ulstad of Madison Dental Clinic in Madison will serve as Speaker of the House, while Dr. Alejandro Aguirre of Plymouth was appointed treasurer.

Los Angeles – September 23, 2026 -- Fashion Trust U.S. has appointed Dr. Omar Mir to its Board of Directors and named him the lead figure behind its 2027 Sustainability Award, the nonprofit fashion platform announced.

Mir takes charge of the nonprofit's sustainability honor for emerging U.S. designers

The Sustainability Award recognizes American designers advancing responsible luxury and ethical production. Tania Fares, Founder of Fashion Trust U.S., said Mir brings "a rare combination of global perspective, intellectual curiosity, and a genuine commitment to the next generation" to the role.

Prior award recipients include Batsheva Hay, Nana Kwame Adusei and AnOnlyChild designers

Laura Brown presented the inaugural 2024 award to Batsheva Hay of Batsheva. Kate Hudson handed the 2025 honor to Nana Kwame Adusei of Kwame Adusei, and Jodie Turner-Smith presented the 2026 award to Maxwell Osborne and Kristy Chen of AnOnlyChild.

Seattle – September 21, 2026 -- Sudheer Koneru, CEO and founder of Zenoti, unveiled a new book, Growth Diaries: How the Best Beauty and Wellness Brands Scale from 1 Store to 100+, drawing on interviews with 42 founders, CEOs, and industry leaders across nine countries.

Book maps four growth phases for multi-unit beauty and wellness operators

Growth Diaries organizes the operators' experiences into four stages: the first store, the early chain, infrastructure, and institutional scale, providing a stage-by-stage framework for founders scaling service-based businesses. The book argues that beauty, wellness, and fitness brands face distinct scaling challenges compared to software, retail, or restaurant companies, since services are delivered live and an unfilled appointment cannot be recovered as revenue later.

Washington – September 20, 2026 -- General Lester Lyles, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), has been named recipient of the 2026 AFA Lifetime Achievement Award by the Air & Space Forces Association. The award was presented in September 2026 during the Air, Space & Cyber Conference.

Career spanned top Air Force commands and boardroom leadership

General Lyles served as Commander of Air Force Materiel Command and later as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, roles in which he shaped modernization and readiness programs for the service. Following his military career, he took on board positions at General Dynamics Corp. and Battelle Memorial Laboratories, and chaired the boards of USAA, KBR Corporation, and USRA.

New York – September 18, 2026 -- DanAds, a SaaS provider of automated self-service advertising tools for publishers, has promoted Michael Gelb to the newly created role of Senior Vice President, Growth & Product. Gelb will now control the company's product roadmap and AI strategy while simultaneously leading commercial growth across its enterprise accounts.

DanAds merges commercial and product leadership under a single executive

Peo Persson, Chief Commercial Officer at DanAds, said the decision to combine growth and product functions under one leader ensures the company's roadmap is driven directly by publisher needs rather than internal silos. Gelb joined DanAds in New York as a Senior Account Manager before rising to Head of Account Management, working with major media companies to grow advertising revenue through the platform.

New York – September 17, 2026 -- Lavender, the largest nurse-owned telepsychiatry practice in the United States, has appointed Kara Birch, DNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, as Director of Clinical Excellence and Anna Lau, MSN, PMHNP-BC, WHNP-BC, as Director of Nursing Operations, formalizing leadership over a network of more than 140 nurse practitioners operating across more than 40 states.

San Rafael, Calif. – September 17, 2026 -- BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) has appointed Robert Plenge, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors, effective September 10, 2026.

Plenge brings nine-site global research oversight from Bristol Myers Squibb

Dr. Plenge currently serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Research Officer and Head of Research at Bristol Myers Squibb, directing scientific operations across nine research sites worldwide. He joined the company in November 2019 through its acquisition of Celgene Corp., where he had led the immunology and inflammation portfolio in research and early development.

Singapore – September 15, 2026 -- Alcott Global has named the Top 30 Leaders in Supply Chain of 2026, selecting winners from a pool of 403 nominees drawn from 354 companies across 24 countries. The fifth edition of the awards, themed "Where Insight Connects the Dots," was revealed during a virtual gala held on September 10, 2026.

Selection required 18-month leadership tenure at billion-dollar manufacturers

Eligibility was restricted to executives holding regional or global leadership roles for at least 18 consecutive months, with end-to-end supply chain responsibility inside manufacturing organizations generating annual revenues above USD 1 billion. Candidates submitted case studies covering transformation programs, digital achievements, sustainability initiatives, and team-development strategies.

Mexico City – September 15, 2026 -- Rocío Olea Salgado, a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig's Mexico City office, has been named Co-lead of the Corporate & M&A Commission of the Mexico Chapter of Women in a Legal World (WLW) 2026.

Olea Salgado will drive initiatives to elevate women in corporate and M&A decision-making roles

WLW is an international organization focused on advancing the leadership and participation of women in the legal sector, connecting practitioners across specialties for collaboration, training, and mentorship. In her new role, Olea Salgado will lead efforts to highlight female talent in corporate and M&A practice and expand women's presence in senior legal decision-making within the sector.