QuidelOrtho Separates Chairman and CEO Roles

QuidelOrtho Corporation is attempting to strengthen its governance practices and oversight by separating the CEO’s role from that of the board chairman.

The company has appointed Lead Independent Board Director Dr. Kenneth F. Buechler as non-executive chairman, and CEO Douglas Bryant as president and board member (additional roles).
 
“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Doug for his leadership as both chairman and CEO and the execution of the transformational combination of Quidel Corporation and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics,” Buechler said. “Doug has exceeded our expectations in integrating the company while helping the commercial team maintain its near-term execution goals. As we look to the future, the company has a significant opportunity to solidify its position as a leader in the IVD market and play a key role in meaningfully improving the global trajectory of human health.”

Buechler has more than 35 years of diagnostic industry expertise and several board roles. In November 2007, he was appointed to the Quidel Corporation Board of Directors, and prior to the combination with Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, served as Quidel’s board chairman since August 2015. Buechler was previously the co-founder of and held several scientific and research executive roles at Biosite Inc. from 1988 until its 2007 acquisition by Alere Inc. Prior to co-founding Biosite, Buechler was a senior research scientist for the diagnostics R&D group at Hybritech Incorporated.
 
“I have had the pleasure of working closely with Ken for many years and I am pleased that I will continue to benefit from his guidance and insights moving forward. He brings strategic oversight combined with a wealth of leadership and scientific industry expertise to our board,” Bryant stated. “With QuidelOrtho developing disease-specific biomarkers and tests, expanding centralized and point-of-care testing, changing the technological landscape with automation, and delivering performance across all business units, this is the right time for steadfast focus on executing on our strategic priorities and transforming the power of diagnostics into a healthier future for all.”
 
Additionally, Chief Operating Officer Robert J. Bujarski and Chief Commercial Officer Michael S. Iskra have both been appointed to the newly created executive vice president roles, in addition to serving in their existing leadership roles. “With the leadership provided by Rob, Mike, and our entire executive team, we have never been more confident in the strategic positioning of the company to benefit from key market trends, the accelerating demand for diagnostic insights and the rapidly evolving IVD market,” Bryant concluded. 
 
QuidelOrtho Corporation develops and manufactures technologies that improve diagnostic testing and create better patient outcomes across the entire healthcare continuum. Ranked among the world’s largest in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) providers with more than 120 years of collective experience, the company combines expertise in immunoassay and molecular testing with a global footprint in clinical labs and transfusion medicine.