BD appoints healthcare sector expert to board of directors

BD has announced the appointment of Catherine Burzik to its board of directors in order to take advantage of her years of experience in the healthcare industry.

Ms Burzik is the former president, chief executive officer and director of medical technology firm KCI, while other previous employers include multinational businesses such as Applied Biosystems, Eastman Kodak and Johnson and Johnson.

She currently serves on the boards of companies such as VitaPath Genetics and ViroXis, offering leadership experience in the fields of medical devices, diagnostics, diagnostic imaging and life sciences.

Vincent Forlenza, BD's chairman, chief executive officer and president, said: "I know that she will make important strategic contributions to the board as we evaluate the many opportunities BD has to continue innovating to improve healthcare around the world."

This week the company also declared a quarterly dividend of 49.5 cents (31.4 pence) per common share, payable on March 29th 2013 to shareholders of record on March 8th.