VAUGHAN, Ontario—Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE/TSX: BLCO) announced the appointments of Bob Bailey as executive vice president (EVP) and chief legal officer and Andrew Stewart as president, Ophthalmic Pharmaceuticals, effective April 24, 2023. Both Bailey and Stewart will join the executive management team of the company. Concurrent with these appointments, Christina Ackermann will step down from her role as EVP, general counsel and president, Ophthalmic Pharmaceuticals, and will leave Bausch + Lomb on April 28, 2023.

Brent Saunders, chairman and CEO, Bausch + Lomb, said, “Bob Bailey and Andrew Stewart both bring more than 25 years of unrivaled leadership and expertise in their respective areas. Bob is a talented leader and legal strategist with experience that spans across the health care industry. Andrew has a highly proven track record of developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products that meet unmet needs in eye health.

“Having worked with Bob and Andrew for the past several years, I am confident they will create value for Bausch + Lomb and help position the company for long-term success.”

“I am excited to return to Bausch + Lomb, where I proudly served for 18 years earlier in my career,” said Bailey. “I look forward to working with this leadership team and my colleagues on the legal and compliance teams to contribute to the company’s bright future.”

“Bausch + Lomb has a comprehensive product portfolio and innovative pipeline in Ophthalmic Pharmaceuticals,” said Stewart. “I am eager to work with Brent and the team to bolster the company’s prescription medicines business and find new solutions that meet the evolving needs of the eyecare professionals and patients around the world who rely on Bausch + Lomb.”

“Additionally, I’d like to thank Christina Ackermann for her service and tireless dedication to the company. Under her leadership, Bausch + Lomb and its parent company successfully addressed a broad range of litigation, corporate, intellectual property and regulatory matters and expanded the depth of our Ophthalmic Pharmaceuticals portfolio,” Saunders said.

Bailey has over 25 years of experience as a senior executive and more than 15 years as a chief legal officer at private and publicly traded companies in the health care industry, including formerly serving as EVP, law, policy and communications at Bausch + Lomb from 2007 to 2013. He will rejoin Bausch + Lomb from Datavant, a private health information technology company, where he has most recently served as chief legal officer. 

Previously, he served as EVP, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Allergan plc and its predecessor companies, Forest Laboratories Inc. and Actavis plc. At Allergan, he led a legal team that closed more than 20 public and private M&A transactions, as well as several licensing arrangements.

During his career, he also has led teams that defended and resolved a range of complex legal and regulatory matters, including investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice; internal investigations; and intellectual property, antitrust, commercial, product liability and tax matters. Bailey began his legal career as an attorney at Nixon Peabody LLP before moving to Bausch + Lomb in 1994.

Until recently, Bailey served as a director of TearClear, an innovator in the ophthalmic pharmaceuticals field, and as a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Litigation Center. He received his bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Stewart has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He will join Bausch + Lomb from AbbVie, where he has most recently served as general manager within the eyecare franchise. At AbbVie and its predecessor company, Allergan plc,  Stewart also previously had responsibility for the U.S. retina business; led global marketing for the eyecare franchise; and oversaw business development initiatives for the eyecare franchise.

Earlier in his career,  Stewart served at Bristol Myers Squibb for nearly 14 years in global clinical operations and pharmaceutical development operations of the R&D department and at Merck & Co., Inc. for seven years in the manufacturing division.

Stewart obtained an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business, a master’s degree in Environmental Science from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.