BAXTER - Key Persons


Alok Sonig - EVP

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice President
  • Group President
  • Member of the Leadership Team
  • Executive Vice President and Group President, Pharmaceuticals
Sonig joined Baxter in 2022 from Lupin, Inc., where he served as U.S. CEO and Global Head of R&D and Biosimilars. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the life sciences industry. Prior to Lupin, Inc., Sonig served as CEO of Developed Markets (U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan) at Dr. Reddy's Laboratories. He also spent more than 15 years at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he held several positions of increasing responsibility in general management, global strategy and marketing. Sonig previously served as chairman of the board of the Association for Accessible Medicines and is currently an advisory board member for the Kogod School of Business, American University. He received his bachelor's degree in engineering from Punjab Engineering College in India and a master's degree in business administration from American University.

Amy A. Wendell

Job Titles:
  • Director
  • Member of the Leadership Team
Wendell served as a senior advisor at Perella Weinberg Partners L.P., consulting on strategy, corporate finance and investing practices in the healthcare industry from 2016 to May 2019. From 2015 to September 2018, Wendell served as a senior advisor for McKinsey & Company (McKinsey) strategy and corporate finance practice and also served as a member of McKinsey's transactions advisory board. She previously served as senior vice president, strategy and business development and licensing at Covidien from 2006 to 2015, where she led the company's strategy and portfolio management initiatives and managed all business development activities. From 1986 to 2015, Wendell held roles of increasing responsibility at Covidien (including at its predecessors, Tyco International plc and Kendall Healthcare Products Company), from engineering to product management and business development. She serves as a director of Axogen, Inc., Hologic, Inc. and Solventum Corporation.

Brent Shafer

Job Titles:
  • Director
  • Member of the Leadership Team
  • Lead Independent Director and Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cerner Corporation
Brent Shafer has served as a director of Baxter since May 2022 and was appointed lead independent director in February 2023. Shafer is the former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Cerner Corporation, serving in this role from 2018 to 2021. Prior to Cerner, Shafer held a number of roles at Koninklijke Philips NV, including CEO of Philips North America and CEO of Philips Home Healthcare Solutions business. Before joining Philips, Shafer was vice president and general manager of Hillrom's Patient Care Environment Division and worked at GE Medical Systems where he served in key positions in sales, marketing, and general management. Shafer has also held senior roles at Hewlett Packard's Medical Products Group and Johnson & Johnson. He currently serves as a director of Tactile Systems Technology and Veracyte.

Cathy R. Smith

Job Titles:
  • Chief Financial Officer, Nordstrom

Charles (Rusty) Patel - CIO, SVP

Job Titles:
  • Chief Information Officer
  • Member of the Leadership Team
  • Senior Vice President
Patel joined Baxter in 2024 after most recently serving as senior vice president and chief information officer at Tenneco, an automotive components manufacturer. Across his 30+-year career, he has held information technology (IT) and professional services leadership roles at Johnson Controls, Tyco, VWR International, Motorola, A.T. Kearney, and EDS Delphi Automotive Systems. Patel earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Marquette University and a master's degree in business administration in management information systems from the University of Notre Dame.

Chris Toth - EVP

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice President
  • Group President
  • Member of the Leadership Team
  • Executive Vice President and Group President, Kidney Care
Toth assumed his responsibilities at Baxter in June 2023 and has been selected as the chief executive officer of the company's proposed spinoff of its Kidney Care business into an independent, publicly traded company. Before joining Baxter, he served as chief executive officer of Varian, a Siemens Healthineers Company. Prior to this, he held numerous executive leadership roles across a two-decade career with Varian, including as president and chief operating officer; president of Varian Oncology Systems; and president of Global Commercial and Field Operations. Toth received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon. He is also a member of the U.S. India Strategic Partnership Forum Board (USISPF) and President Biden's Advisory Council for Doing Business in Africa (PACDBIA).

David S. Rosenbloom - Chief Legal Officer, EVP

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice President
  • General Counsel
  • Member of the Leadership Team
Rosenbloom joined Baxter in 2022 from McDermott Will & Emery, where he served as a partner for 24 years and global head of the Litigation Practice Group from 2017-2022. Prior to McDermott, he served for eight years in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

David S. Wilkes

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Leadership Team
  • Dean Emeritus of the University of Virginia School of Medicine
Dr. Wilkes served as dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine from 2015 to 2021 and currently serves as dean emeritus. He previously served in positions of increasing responsibility at Indiana University School of Medicine, most recently as the Executive Associate Director for Research Affairs and as the August M. Watanabe Professor of Medical Research between 2009 and 2015. Dr. Wilkes is the co-founder of ImmuneWorks Inc., a biotechnology start-up company, and has served as its chief scientific officer since 2005. Since 2006, he has served as the National Director of the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This program seeks to increase underrepresented minority physician-scientists at leading medical schools in the United States. Dr. Wilkes is a military veteran, having served three years as a major in the U.S. Air Force Medical Corps. In 2020, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Wilkes also serves on the board of directors of Syneos Health, the only fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization.

Gerard (Jerry) Greco - SVP

Job Titles:
  • Chief Quality Officer
  • Member of the Leadership Team
  • Senior Vice President
Greco joined Baxter in 2023 from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where he most recently served as the global quality officer, leading all quality and quality compliance for the company. During his 35-plus years in the healthcare industry, he has served in quality roles of increasing responsibility at Teva Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson. Greco earned his bachelor's degree in biological sciences from Rutgers University, his master's degree in microbiology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and his Ph.D. in microbiology and molecular genetics from Rutgers University.

Heather Knight - EVP

Job Titles:
  • Executive Vice President
  • Group President
  • Member of the Leadership Team
  • Executive Vice President and Group President, Medical Products & Therapies
Heather Knight is executive vice president and group president, Medical Products & Therapies. Knight joined Baxter in 2019 from Medtronic plc, where she most recently served as vice president/general manager of the global gynecologic health, colorectal health and hernia businesses. Knight has nearly 30 years of experience across the pharmaceutical and medical device industries in roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to joining Medtronic, she held key commercial leadership positions at Kendall Healthcare, Tyco Healthcare and Covidien plc. Knight serves as the executive sponsor of the Black Professional Alliance, a business resource group that serves as a business partner to help save and sustain lives in the Black patient community, and to support the recruitment, engagement and advancement of Baxter's Black talent. She also serves as a member of Baxter's Global Inclusion Council.

James Borzi - EVP

Job Titles:
  • Chief Supply Chain Officer
  • Executive Vice President
  • Member of the Leadership Team
Borzi joined Baxter in August 2020 from GE Healthcare, where he served as vice president, chief supply chain officer from 2019 to 2020. Prior to joining GE Healthcare, he spent five years with Becton Dickinson (BD) in various manufacturing operations leadership roles; his last role with BD was executive vice president of Global Operations and chief supply chain officer.

Jeanne Mason - CHRO, EVP

Job Titles:
  • Chief Human Resources Officer
  • Executive Vice President

Jeffrey (Jay) A. Craig

Job Titles:
  • Director
  • Member of the Leadership Team
Craig is the former chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of Meritor Corporation, a global supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicles, where he had also previously held roles of increasing leadership including controller, chief financial officer, and president and chief operating officer. Before joining Meritor, Craig was president at GMAC Commercial; he began his career at Deloitte. Craig currently serves as a director of Arcosa Corporation and Hyliion Corporation.

Joel Grade - CFO, EVP

Job Titles:
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Executive Vice President
  • Member of the Leadership Team
Grade joined Baxter in 2023 following a 25-year career with Sysco, the world's global foodservice leader. He is also currently serving as Baxter's interim chief accounting officer. He most recently served as Sysco's executive vice president, corporate development. His previous roles included executive vice president and chief financial officer, senior vice president of finance and chief accounting officer, and senior vice president of foodservice operations. Grade earned his bachelor's degree in accounting and finance with a specialization in international business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a master's degree in business administration in finance, strategy and marketing from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

José (Joe) E. Almeida - CEO, Chairman, President

Job Titles:
  • Chairman
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • President

Nancy M. Schlichting

Job Titles:
  • Director
  • Member of the Leadership Team
Schlichting joined the board following Baxter's acquisition of Hillrom, where she had previously served as a director. Schlichting is the retired president and chief executive officer of Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, a non-profit health care organization, serving in this role from June 2003 to January 2017. She joined Henry Ford Health System in 1998 as senior vice president and chief administrative officer, and was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer from 1999 to 2003, and president and chief executive officer of Henry Ford Hospital from 2001 to 2003. She currently serves as a director of Walgreens Boots Alliance and Encompass Health; a trustee of Kresge Foundation and Duke University; and vice-chair of the Duke University Health System Board.

Patricia B. Morrison

Job Titles:
  • Director
  • Member of the Leadership Team
Morrison most recently served from 2009 to 2018 as executive vice president, customer support services and chief information officer at Cardinal Health Inc., a global, integrated healthcare services and products company, where she led global information technology operations. This work included the transformation of multiple business segments and acquisition integration and digital strategy activities. Prior to Cardinal Health, Morrison was chief executive officer of Mainstay Partners, a technology advisory firm, from 2008 to 2009. Her previous experience includes serving as chief information officer of both Motorola, Inc. and Office Depot, Inc. She serves as a director of Splunk Inc. and previously served as a director of Virtusa Corporation.

Peter M. Wilver

Job Titles:
  • Director
  • Member of the Leadership Team
  • Retired Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc
Wilver is the retired executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., serving in this role from 2015 to 2017. He'd previously served as the company's chief financial officer, a position he held from 2004 to 2015. Prior to Thermo Fisher, Wilver was the chief financial officer for Honeywell's Electronic Materials Division. Before joining Honeywell, he held various finance roles at Grimes Aerospace Company and General Electric Company. Wilver currently serves as a director of LivaNova PLC.

Piero Novello

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Leadership Team
  • Senior Vice President and President, Growth & Emerging
  • Senior Vice President and President, Growth & Emerging Markets
Novello joined Baxter in 1997 and has held international leadership roles of increasing responsibility across Baxter's Renal business and regional general management roles as well as finance and marketing functions. Before expanding his leadership to Growth & Emerging Markets, he was vice president of our Kidney Care business segment for Western Europe. Novello also previously served as general manager for Baxter Mexico, Central America and South America after having been general manager for Mexico and Baxter's Renal Care Services clinics network in Latin America, and general manager for Baxter Brazil. He received his bachelor's degree in business management from Vicenza International School. Novello also received his university degree in business administration from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, with a specialization in management of international corporations. Piero Novello is senior vice president and president, Growth & Emerging Markets.

Stacey Eisen

Job Titles:
  • Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer and Corporate Marketing, and President, Baxter International Foundation

Stephen H. Rusckowski

Job Titles:
  • Director
  • Member of the Leadership Team
Steve Rusckowski has served as a director of Baxter since August 2023.

Stephen N. Oesterle

Job Titles:
  • Healthcare Industry Consultant, Former Senior Vice President, Medicine & Technology, Medtronic

Tobi Karchmer

Job Titles:
  • Senior Vice President and Chief Medical & Scientific Officer

William A. Ampofo II

Job Titles:
  • Chairman, Supply Chain Operations Council and Vice President, Parts & Distribution Services and Supply Chain, Boeing Global Services