Robert Ford named president, COO of Abbott

Daniel Allar | | Cardiovascular Business | Economics

Robert B. Ford has been named president and chief operating officer of Abbott, the company announced Oct. 15.

The 45-year-old Ford, who has been with Abbott for 22 years, was most recently executive vice president of Medical Devices, Abbott’s largest business. He’ll continue his responsibilities in that role while also overseeing all of Abbott’s operating business, effective immediately, according to a press release.

"Robert is a strong leader who consistently demonstrates Abbott's successful management philosophy and strategy, and has a successful track record of delivering business results,” said Miles D. White, the company’s chairman and CEO.

Ford oversaw the integration of St. Jude Medical, the largest acquisition in Abbott’s history. Before that, he led the company’s Diabetes Care business when it launched the FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system.

Ford holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Boston College and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of California Berkeley.

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Daniel Allar

Daniel joined TriMed’s Chicago editorial team in 2017 as a Cardiovascular Business writer. He previously worked as a writer for daily newspapers in North Dakota and Indiana.

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