Canatu Plc appoints Nedal Safwat as Chief Development Officer and President of Canatu Inc
Canatu Plc (CANATU, Nasdaq First North, Finland) announces the appointment of Dr. Nedal Safwat (PhD in Biochemistry) as Chief Development Officer of Canatu Plc and President of Canatu Inc, effective June 9, 2025. In his new role, Dr. Safwat will lead Canatu’s Medical Diagnostics business unit and serve as a member of the Management Team.
Dr. Safwat brings over 20 years of industry expertise in medical diagnostics and a strong track record in business development across leading global organizations. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Portfolio and Program Management Office at Cepheid (2025). Before that, he served as the Vice President, Head of Molecular Diagnostics Sales and Marketing – North America at QIAGEN (2021–2024), and Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at ChromaCode, Inc. (2020–2021). He also held multiple leadership roles in product development and commercial functions at bioMérieux (2009–2020).
“Dr. Nedal Safwat’s appointment is a key milestone in establishing Canatu as a globally relevant technology company in the medical diagnostics industry. Under his leadership, we will accelerate the development of highly sensitive electrochemical biosensors for unmet needs and, crucially, generate a specific roadmap and products that vividly demonstrate the unique differentiations of Canatu’s CNT technology in medical diagnostics. This roadmap will also highlight how our technology can enable a broader range of diagnostic applications through key partnerships.”
Juha Kokkonen, CEO, Canatu Plc
Dr. Nedal Safwat, incoming CDO and President of Canatu Inc., added: “I am honored to join Canatu at this exciting stage of growth and innovation. The technology is perfectly positioned to address the increasing demand for point-of-care diagnostic tools and new medical applications. I look forward to working closely with the team to accelerate the development of breakthrough biosensor solutions and build strong collaborations with key industry partners.”
Medical diagnostics are expected to increasingly transition from laboratory-based testing to point-of-care (POC) solutions in various parts of the care chain. Canatu aims to become a leader in highly sensitive, rapid POC diagnostic sensors and is developing focused applications.
Additional information:
CEO Juha Kokkonen, tel. +358 405 430 367
Board member Tuomo Vähäpassi, tuomo.vahapassi@lifeline-spac1.com
Certified Adviser
DNB Carnegie Investment Bank AB (publ), tel. +46 (0)73 856 42 65
About Canatu
Canatu (CANATU, Nasdaq First North, Finland) is a fast-growing deep technology company creating advanced carbon nanotubes (Canatu CNTs), related products, and manufacturing equipment for the semiconductor, automotive, and medical diagnostics industries. Canatu partners with forerunner companies, together transforming products for better tomorrows with nano carbon.
Canatu’s versatile platform technology has broad potential applications. Its current core includes CNT membranes for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) processes in the semiconductor industry, enabling the manufacturing of the most advanced chips, as well as film heaters for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) in the automotive industry. Additionally, electrochemical sensors for medical diagnostics are in the development phase. Canatu’s patented CNT reactors and Dry DepositionTM method yield clean and pristine CNTs. The company operates through two business models: selling CNT products directly, as well as selling CNT reactors and licensing the related technology so that customers can produce CNT products under a limited license.
Headquartered in Finland, Canatu also operates in the US, Japan, and Taiwan. Founded in 2004 as a spin-off from Aalto University’s Nanomaterials Group, Canatu currently has around 140 employees representing 35 nationalities, with 20 percent holding or pursuing doctorates. Discover more at www.canatu.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
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