Abbott announces Robert B. Ford to succeed Miles D. White as Chief Executive Officer
Technomedicine – 14 November 2019
Abbott announced that Miles D. White will step down as Chief Executive Officer on March 31, 2020, after a 21-year tenure, the second-longest for a non-founder in today's S&P 100. He will remain executive chairman of the board. The Board unanimously nominated Robert B. Ford, a 23-year Abbott veteran, to succeed White as CEO. Ford is 
currently President and Chief Operating Officer and was elected to the Board.
Ford will become Abbott's 13th CEO in its 131-year history, all to be appointed within the company, a testament to Abbott's strong management philosophy and succession planning discipline. Mr. Ford joined Abbott in the company's diabetes care business in 1996. He was named president and chief operating officer in October 2018.
Ford has held numerous leadership roles within the company, including in the nutrition and medical device industries. As executive vice president of Medical Devices, he oversaw the integration of St. Jude Medical, Abbott's largest acquisition, and led Abbott's Diabetes Care business and the launch of FreeStyle Libre. He holds a bachelor's degree from Boston College and a master's degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business.
White was named President and Chief Executive Officer in 1998. He has strategically reshaped Abbott several times, most recently building Abbott's leadership in medical devices and diagnostics with the additions of St. Jude Medical and Alere and internal advances such as FreeStyle Libre, the leading world leader in continuous glucose monitoring and the Alinity family of diagnostic systems.
White also built two highly successful companies, Hospira in 2004 and AbbVie in 2013, which is now a Fortune 100 company. He led one of the most successful acquisitions in the pharmaceutical industry, buying BASF's Knoll pharmaceutical business in 2001. Such The transaction brought with it the industry-leading drug, Humira. White's courageous strategic thinking and transformative actions have consistently made Abbott one of the most admired companies in the world.
Related news: Abbott announces Robert b. Ford to succeed Miles D. White as chief executive officer on March 31, 2020
