James Agnew Appointed Chief Executive Officer, December 2026

BLT is pleased to announce the appointment of James Agnew as Chief Executive Officer, commencing in December 2026.

BLT has been developing kangaroo-derived medical devices for soft tissue repair and reconstruction under the leadership of founder and orthopaedic surgeon Dr Nicholas Hartnell. As BLT enters its next phase of development and commercialisation, Dr Hartnell will transition from the CEO role while continuing to guide the company's clinical strategy as Chief Medical Officer.

James joins BLT from Aroa Biosurgery, a leader in animal-derived devices for soft tissue regeneration, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. He brings more than 25 years of experience across corporate finance, strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, and international commercial operations.

During his 13 years at Aroa, James helped guide the company's transformation from a privately held business to a publicly listed multinational medical technology company. He played a key role in establishing the financial, governance and operational frameworks that supported Aroa's ASX listing in 2020, while also helping establish the company's US commercial operations and supporting global expansion.

As BLT advances towards key regulatory, clinical and commercial milestones, James' experience building and scaling an international medical device business will be invaluable. We are excited to welcome James and look forward to the next stage of BLT's growth.

Simone von Fircks
joins BLT Board as
Non-Executive Director

Simone brings more than 30 years of international experience spanning biotechnology, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and the development and commercialisation of biological products. She previously held executive responsibility for global operations at Aroa Biosurgery, a leader in animal-derived medical devices.

Since 2021, Simone has focused on governance and currently serves on the boards of commercial and not-for-profit organisations in New Zealand and internationally. Her expertise includes technology commercialisation, corporate strategy, organisational development and business growth.

Throughout her career, Simone has held scientific and technical positions with leading universities and biotechnology companies across Europe, developing deep expertise in pharmaceutical manufacturing, quality systems and regulatory affairs. She has also supported regulatory approvals across major international markets including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the European Union.

For BLT's development of kangaroo-derived implantable medical devices, Simone's experience is particularly valuable. Her expertise in biologically derived medical products, quality systems, manufacturing scale-up, regulatory pathways and commercialisation provides important guidance as BLT advances toward key regulatory, clinical and commercial milestones.

BLT awarded $3.6M through the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program (Commercialisation and Growth Grant), delivered by the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

We’re proud to be flying the flag for Australian innovation - an Australian company, Australian-owned IP, and a uniquely Australian source tissue, with the opportunity to deliver impact both locally and globally.

This funding is pivotal in accelerating our progress toward bringing Xeno:K to market. It supports the critical work required to advance product testing and validation, establish secure supply and manufacturing pathways, and progress through the regulatory and commercialisation processes.

We believe the future of soft tissue repair lies in solutions that eliminate the need for tendon harvesting, provide consistent off-the-shelf access, and better replicate the performance of native tissue, particularly for younger and more active patients.

We’re grateful to the Australian Government and the Industry Growth Program for their support, and to our partners who continue to contribute their expertise and commitment. Together, we’re building the future of soft tissue repair and reconstruction.

This project is supported by the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program.

We’re thrilled to share that our CEO and Founder, Dr Nick Hartnell, has won Paul Shetler Disrupter of the Year at the 2025 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence.

This prestigious national award is open to innovators from all industries, all sectors, and across all of Australia. It recognises innovators who challenge conventions, take bold risks, and drive meaningful, disruptive change.  Nick’s pioneering work in orthopaedic reconstruction continues to redefine what is possible for patient outcomes worldwide.

A huge congratulations to Nick on this incredible and well-deserved recognition.

Dr Nick Hartnell named Finalist for 2025 InnovationAus Disrupter of the Year Award

We’re proud to announce that our CEO and Founder, Dr Nick Hartnell, has been named a finalist in the 2025 InnovationAus Awards for Excellence, in the Paul Shetler Disrupter of the Year category.

This award recognises individuals who have made a significant impact on their respective sectors by demonstrating an unwavering vision for what is possible – predicting future trends, identifying new opportunities, taking bold risks, and driving disruptive change through a relentless focus on challenges and opportunities. Exceptional disruptors from any sector – public, private, institutional research, NGOs, or government – are eligible for this award.

Nick’s nomination includes recognition of his work at BLT, in developing soft tissue reconstruction devices using ethically sourced kangaroo tissue.  As a practising orthopaedic surgeon, Nick saw firsthand the limitations of traditional ACL graft options and envisioned a better solution. What began as personal research evolved into a breakthrough innovation and the foundation of our company. Under his leadership, we’re developing high-performance medical devices that repurpose tissue otherwise discarded, delivering strength beyond autografts and eliminating the need for deep-freeze storage.

We congratulate Nick on this remarkable recognition.  His commitment to improving patient outcomes and reshaping the future of orthopaedics continues to inspire our team and drive our mission.

The winner will be announced at the InnovationAus Awards gala dinner on November 27 2025: https://www.innovationaus.com/finalists-paul-shetler-disrupter-of-the-year-2025/

Intellectual Property: Driving Innovation in Regenerative Medicine

BLT’s commitment to surgical excellence is embodied by the pioneering work of our science and engineering teams. They have delivered critical innovations that define our regenerative biological scaffolds, designed for the advanced repair and reconstruction of tendons and ligaments.

We are delighted to announce the formal patent filings for these novel xenograft technologies with additional applications planned. This milestone is a testament to our technological leadership, securing the future of our innovative platform and reinforcing our core mission to enhance surgical options and deliver superior patient care globally.

BLT Commissions Cleanroom Manufacturing Facility

We’re proud to announce that in April 2025, Ginan Biomedics officially commissioned our cleanroom manufacturing facility at the John Lyttleton Building in Palmerston North.

This marks a significant step forward in our mission to deliver high-quality biomaterials for orthopedic applications. The cleanroom facility is a purpose-built environment that will enable us to manufacture under controlled conditions, supporting both our preclinical development and future commercial production.

Commissioning the cleanroom is a major milestone on our path toward regulatory approval and market readiness. It also reflects the incredible efforts of our growing team, who have worked tirelessly to bring this critical infrastructure online.

With our manufacturing capabilities now in place, we’re excited to accelerate toward delivering regenerative solutions that improve patient outcomes worldwide.

BLT Completes Callaghan Innovation Project Grant!

Between December 2021 and June 2023, BLT was proud to be a recipient of a Callaghan Innovation Project Grant. This funding was instrumental in advancing our early-stage research and development of a collagen scaffold device for ACL reconstruction and other orthopaedic applications.

Over the course of the project, we successfully completed feasibility testing and a pilot animal study. These efforts enabled us to select one of two prototype devices to take forward into formal product development.

Our pilot animal study provided encouraging histological evidence of biological integration, validating the scientific foundation of our device. Alongside this, we optimized decellularization protocols, established manufacturing techniques, and expanded our quality management framework in preparation for design control.

Thanks to this project, our R&D team grew from 1 to 6 full-time scientists and engineers, developing hard-to-find expertise in collagen science, tissue regeneration, biological characterization, and biomechanical testing.

We are deeply grateful to Callaghan Innovation for their support, especially to Andrew Clews, Mark Robinson, David Clarke, and Jamie Attenborough for their invaluable guidance and connections.

This milestone moves us closer to our vision of bringing regenerative solutions to patients worldwide.

Leonardo Negron
joins BLT

We are proud to welcome Dr. Leonardo Negron to BLT as our Chief Science Officer, bringing with him a wealth of expertise in protein science, biotechnology, and medical device innovation.

Leonardo joined BLT in November 2022 to lead our scientific strategy and drive the development of novel biomaterials for orthopedic applications. With over 20 years of experience across the U.S. and New Zealand, Leonardo has held key roles at companies such as Roche Molecular Systems and Aroa Biosurgery, as well as senior research leadership positions at Callaghan Innovation.

His deep technical background—ranging from protein engineering and enzymology to wound healing and biologics manufacturing—positions him perfectly to guide BLT’s R&D programs. Under his leadership, we are building a strong scientific foundation for the next generation of regenerative medical technologies.

We’re thrilled to have Leonardo on board as we continue our mission to transform patient outcomes through innovative biomaterials.

Welcoming Russell
Speiden as BLT Chief
Technology Officer

We’re excited to announce that Russell Speiden has joined BLT as our Chief Technology Officer as of January 2024.

Russell brings over a decade of leadership experience in the medical device industry, with deep expertise in product development, process engineering, and large-scale manufacturing. Prior to joining BLT, Russell held senior technical and operational roles at Aroa Biosurgery, where he led multidisciplinary teams and drove innovation across collagen-based medical device production.

At BLT, Russell will be spearheading the development of our engineering team and overseeing the establishment of our pilot manufacturing facility. His strategic insight and technical leadership will play a pivotal role as we move from R&D into commercialization and scale our biomaterials platform for orthopaedic applications.

We’re thrilled to welcome Russell to the team and look forward to the impact he’ll make as we continue to push the boundaries of regenerative medicine.

BLT Expands into the John Lyttleton Building at AgResearch

In December 2024, the BLT team made an exciting move into the John Lyttleton Building at AgResearch in Palmerston North. This relocation marks a major milestone for us as we transition from our original, smaller laboratory into a space designed to support our next phase of growth.

The John Lyttleton Building provides multiple laboratories, significantly expanding our R&D capacity and giving us room for our team of 14 scientific, engineering and quality assurance staff. Importantly, the new space also includes dedicated areas for the construction of our clean room manufacturing facility, supporting our journey from research to scalable production.

Being based at AgResearch continues to offer valuable access to scientific collaboration and innovation, and we’re excited to be growing within such a dynamic research environment.

We’re proud of how far we’ve come—and even more excited for what’s next.

SoHi Partners Invests in BLT to Advance Regenerative Medicine

BLT receive a strategic investment from SoHi Partners, an Australian venture capital firm specializing in transformative medical technologies. This partnership marks a significant milestone in BLT's mission to develop innovative regenerative solutions for ligament and tendon reconstruction.​

Founded in late 2023, SoHi Partners brings together a team of eminent surgeons, financial experts, and business leaders with a proven track record in medical and technology investment management. Their focus on cutting-edge medical technologies aligns seamlessly with BLTs commitment to advancing healthcare solutions that improve patient outcomes.

The investment from SoHi Partners will accelerate BLT's product development and support the expansion of its research and manufacturing capabilities. With SoHi's backing, BLT is well-positioned to bring its innovative solutions to the global market, addressing a significant need in orthopaedic surgery.

Innovative Manufacturing Co-operative Research Centre (IMCRC) grant programme completed - April 2022

The IMCRC ran from 2016 to 2022 and was a highly successful, independent and for-impact Cooperative Research Centre that championed innovation across 71 research and development projects.

Bone Ligament Tendon received funding from 2019 to 2022 for a project with the University of Sydney to investigate the early feasibility into the use of kangaroo tendon for soft-tissue surgery.

Graham McLean
joins BLT Board as
Non-Executive Director

Graham is a highly experienced healthcare leader with an extensive track record in the medical technology industry across Australia, Asia and the United States. He spent 16 successful years with Stryker, one of the world's leading medical device companies, where he held a number of senior executive roles including President Australia/New Zealand, President Japan and President Asia Pacific.

Prior to Stryker, Graham held leadership positions with Lion Nathan, serving as Audit & Risk Director and International CFO. Earlier in his career, he worked with global consumer brands including Unilever, McVities and Guinness, building broad experience across finance, operations and international business.

Today, Graham focuses on strengthening the medical technology sector across Australasia through enhanced research and development, commercialisation and advanced manufacturing capabilities. He currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Chair of CleanSpace Technology, Chair of Suicide Prevention Australia, and a Non-Executive Director of the Additive Manufacturing CRC.

As BLT progresses towards commercialisation, Graham's extensive experience in scaling global medical technology businesses and guiding listed companies will provide valuable strategic insight to the Board.

BLT welcomes
Clinical Advisor,
Mr Al Getgood

Mr Al Getgood is a UK trained Specialist Knee Surgeon at Fortius Clinic London, focusing on the full spectrum of knee surgery excluding knee replacement procedures. He has extensive experience in dealing with both professional and amateur athletes through his past roles as Chief of Surgery at the world-renowned Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Clinic in Doha, Qatar, and as Fellowship Director at the internationally recognised Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic in London, Ontario, Canada.

Originally from Northern Ireland, he underwent training in Edinburgh, Cambridge and Coventry before moving to Canada in 2012.

Mr Getgood's clinical practice focuses on complex soft tissue reconstruction of the knee. This spans from first time ACL reconstructions in elite/professional and recreational athletes to tertiary referral multiple revision ligament reconstruction and alignment correction to address problematic pain, instability and deformity.

He has been successful in securing over $10 million in peer-reviewed and industry-funded grants to build his pre-clinical and clinical research programme focusing on complex ligament reconstruction and joint preservation.

Mr Getgood has authored over 220 peer-reviewed articles and numerous book chapters, and has given over 300 national and international conference presentations, lectures and demonstrations.

Read more about Mr Getgood’s work at https://getgoodknees.com/