Robert B. Ford
Robert B. Ford is an American businessman and the thirteenth chief executive officer at Abbott Laboratories, a publicly-traded medical devices and health care company based in Abbott Park, Illinois.[1] He received a bachelor's degree from Boston College and an MBA from Haas School of Business.[2]
Robert B. Ford | |
|---|---|
Robert Ford in 2018 | |
| Nationality | American and Brazilian |
| Education | Boston College Berkeley Haas (MBA) |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Employer | Abbott Laboratories |
| Title | Chairman, chief executive officer |
| Term | March 31, 2020 – present |
Career edit
Ford joined Abbott in 1996 within its diabetes care business, later heading the company's medical device businesses, and Abbott's integration of St. Jude Medical in 2017, its largest acquisition at the time.[3][4] He was named President and COO in October 2018.[5]
On March 31, 2020, Ford became the chief executive officer of Abbott Laboratories, elected unanimously by the company's board.[6][7] He stated that the sale of medical devices such as FreeStyle Libre and diagnostics would be prioritized while CEO as well as developing technology to monitor consumer health through smartphones and other connected devices.[8]
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ford led the company's COVID-19 testing development and distribution. He pulled Abbott's scientists and manufacturing teams off their projects to work on four teams, each focused on specific tests. The company introduced its first two tests in March 2020 and delivered more than 400 million in 2020.[9][10] Ford said he considers Abbott's BinaxNOW test to be a model, setting a trend for rapid point-of-care testing after the coronavirus pandemic for ailments such as influenza, sexually transmitted diseases, and hepatitis.[11] In April 2020, Chief Executive recognized Ford for Abbott's response to accessibility for testing.[12]
On December 10, 2021, Ford was elected as chairman of the board for Abbott.[13]
References edit
- ^ "Abbott Labs veteran CEO White to step down next March". AP News. November 13, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Peter Loftus (November 13, 2019). "Longtime Abbott Labs CEO Miles White to Step Down in March". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Allison Gatlin (November 13, 2019). "Medtech Giant Elects New CEO As 21-Year Veteran Steps Down". Investor's Business Daily.
- ^ Robert Channick (November 13, 2019). "Abbott CEO Miles White to step down in March". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Daniel Allar (October 15, 2018). "Robert Ford named president, COO of Abbott". Cardiovascular Business.
- ^ Nick Williams (January 22, 2020). "Abbott beats revenue projections as sales outperform previous year". Milwaukee Business Journal.
- ^ "Abbott CEO Miles D White To Step Down In 2020, Robert B Ford To Take Over". Medical Dialogues. December 15, 2019.
- ^ "Incoming Abbott CEO says not looking to do any deals". Reuters. January 22, 2020.
- ^ Japsen, Bruce (February 5, 2021). "Abbott Profits Rise As Covid-19 Diagnostic Sales Eclipse 400 Million Tests". Forbes.
- ^ Hauck, Grace (March 28, 2020). "'A game changer': FDA authorizes Abbott Labs' portable, 5-minute coronavirus test the size of a toaster". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Cortez, Michelle Fay (February 5, 2021). "Abbott Went All In on Covid Tests, And It's Just Getting Started". Bloomberg News. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Kuehner-Hebert, Katie (April 2, 2020). "CEO of the Week: Abbott Laboratories CEO Robert B. Ford". Chief Executive. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ Sean Wooley (December 13, 2021). "Abbott's Miles White retires as executive chairperson". Mass Device1.