Abbott plans succession after long-time CEO Miles White retirement

13 November 2019

US healthcare and medical devices company Abbott (NYSE: ABT) today announced that Miles White will be stepping down as chief executive on March 31, 2020, after a remarkable 21-year tenure, the second longest for a non-founder in today's S&P 100, according to the company.

He will remain executive chairman of the board, which has unanimously appointed Robert Ford, a 23-year Abbott veteran, to succeed Mr White as CEO. Mr Ford currently serves as president and chief operating officer and has been elected to the board.

Mr Ford will become the 13th CEO of Abbott – which spun off its pharmaceutical business into AbbVie in 2013 - in its 131-year history, all having been appointed from within the company, a testament to Abbott's strong management philosophy and succession-planning discipline. Mr Ford originally joined Abbott in the company's Diabetes Care business in 1996. He was appointed president and COO in October 2018.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK