B&L appoints new top team

Bausch & Lomb has appointed Fred Hassan as chairman of the board of directors, with Brent Saunders as chief executive.

Current chairman and CEO Gerald M Ostrov is retiring and will serve as consultant. Hassan was chairman and CEO of Schering-Plough until its merger with Merck in November 2009, leading the former into one of the highest performing companies in the research-based global pharmaceutical industry.

Saunders was previously senior vice-president and president of Schering-Plough's Consumer Healthcare unit where he implemented a growth strategy including expansion into international markets.

Hassan said Ostrov had stabilised a very challenging situation at B&L, helping to move it forward to a stronger global organisation. 'Now we will be initiating a new phase to take B&L to an even higher level of performance.'