Bausch and Lomb appoints new chairman and CEO

Bausch and Lomb has appointed Fred Hassan and Brent Saunders as the company’s new chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer (CEO) respectively.

The eye health specialist has selected the former Schering-Plough executives to these key roles in response to the retirement of current chairman and CEO Gerald Ostrov.

Both men served in leading positions at Schering-Plough prior to its merger with Merck Sharpe and Dohme, with Mr Hassan having also occupied key positions at Pharmacia and Novartis.

Joseph Landy, co-president of Bausch and Lomb owner Warburg Pincus, expressed confidence that it has appointed “two very strong leaders” to take the company forward.

He said: “Bausch and Lomb has improved its operations and financial performance since 2007 and we look forward to the next stage of the company’s growth under Fred and Brent’s leadership.”

This comes after the company last week appointed Dr Robert Steffen as director of clinical affairs for its vision care unit.