Menicon Co, a Japan-based contact lens manufacturer, has appointed Mark Allen as vice president of manufacturing for Lagado, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Menicon America Inc. Allen will report to Menicon America president Jonathan Jacobson.

During his career in medical products, Allen has held key leadership roles in manufacturing, quality assurance, regulatory affairs and research and development.

Over the last three years, Allen has held the position of vice president of quality assurance and regulatory affairs at Bonfils Blood Center, a blood collection, manufacturing, testing and research center located in Denver, Colorado.

Based in Denver, Allen will oversee manufacturing operations of Lagado. He will work closely with Lagado research scientist Bill Hoffman, in brining new contact lens materials to market for custom lens manufacturers.

“The recent acquisition of Lagado marks the latest milestone in Menicon America’s strategy to aggressively pursue the US market. I look forward to continuing Lagado’s established history of high-quality and innovative products, and I will bring a new emphasis for providing strong technical support for our customers,” Allen said.

Menicon global business strategies and operations general manager Jacobson said that the depth of Allen’s experience and leadership in guiding world-class operations to manufacture the highest-quality medical devices is a tremendous asset for Lagado and Menicon.