Edwards Lifesciences sets up a deal-making succession. Edwards Lifesciences says strategy and corporate development chief Donald E. Bobo Jr. will retire in mid-2027, with a search already running. Why the seat matters for the deal pipeline. Edwards Lifesciences said Corporate Vice President Donald E. Bobo Jr., its longtime strategy and corporate development leader, plans to retire in mid-2027, with a succession process already underway; EW last traded at 90.21, up 0.29% on Aug. 28, 2026. Edwards Lifesciences (EW) has told investors that Corporate Vice President Donald E. Bobo Jr. intends to retire in mid-2027, and that a process to find his successor is already running. Bobo has been the company's longtime leader of strategy and corporate development \u2014 the function that decides which technologies Edwards buys, which it builds, and which it walks away from. The announcement, reported by GuruFocus, is unusual only in its timing. Companies rarely flag a senior departure roughly ten months ahead of the date. Doing so signals two things at once: that the exit is planned rather than abrupt, and that the board wants the market to see continuity in a role where continuity is the point. Why the corporate development seat is not a back-office job. At a medical device company, strategy and corporate development sits at the hinge between the balance sheet and the product pipeline. Structural heart and critical care technologies are developed over long arcs \u2014 clinical trials, regulatory review, physician adoption \u2014 and no single company invents everything it eventually sells. The corporate development function is where decisions get made about buying early-stage technology, taking minority stakes, licensing, and occasionally divesting a business that no longer fits. That makes the person in the chair a quiet determinant of what the company looks like five years out. A device maker's growth profile is partly a function of the deals it did three or four years earlier. Investors who track Edwards for its pipeline rather than its quarter-to-quarter margins have a legitimate interest in who takes over, and in whether the incoming leader inherits the same mandate or a revised one. Edwards has not said, in what has been disclosed, whether the successor will come from inside the company or outside it. Both routes carry a signal. An internal promotion would suggest the current deal philosophy stays intact. An external hire would invite the reading that the board wants a different appetite \u2014 larger transactions, different therapeutic adjacencies, or a faster pace. Where the shares sat as the news landed. The stock gave no dramatic reaction. EW last traded at 90.21, up 0.29% on the day, against a previous close of 89.95, according to market data as of 20:00 GMT on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. The session range was 89.55 to 90.41, so the shares finished in the upper half of the day's band \u2014 a mildly firm close rather than a repricing. That performance came on a soft day for the broad market. The S&P 500 tracker (SPY) closed at $769.35, down 0.23%, and the Nasdaq 100 tracker (QQQ) fell 0.65% to $716.43. The Dow 30 tracker (DIA) was essentially flat at $535.06, off 0.03%. So Edwards ended the session modestly ahead of two of the three headline benchmarks and ahead of the third by a hair \u2014 the kind of relative move that reflects sector rotation and defensive positioning as much as any single announcement. None of that should be read as the market pricing the succession news. Planned executive retirements announced with a long runway rarely move a large-cap device stock, and the size of the move here is well inside normal daily noise. What a long runway buys the board. Announcing a mid-2027 departure now gives Edwards several practical advantages. It allows an internal candidate to be tested on live transactions before taking the title. It lets an external search proceed without the pressure of an empty chair. And it reduces the risk of counterparties freezing mid-negotiation because they are unsure who will own the deal on the buyer's side. There is also a reputational dimension. Abrupt exits from strategy roles invite speculation about disagreement over capital allocation. A pre-announced retirement with a named successor process is the standard corporate answer to that risk. The pattern is familiar across large caps this year: boards disclosing leadership transitions early and framing them as sequencing rather than surprise. What investors should actually watch. Abrupt exits from strategy roles invite speculation about disagreement over capital allocation. The useful questions from here are narrow and answerable over the coming quarters. * Internal or external. The identity and background of the successor is the single clearest signal about whether Edwards intends to change its deal cadence. * Whether the mandate is redrawn. Watch for any restructuring of the role \u2014 splitting strategy from corporate development, or folding it under a different executive \u2014 which would say more than the individual hire. * Deal flow in the interim. Transactions announced between now and mid-2027 will still bear Bobo's fingerprints. A visible slowdown would raise questions; steady activity would suggest the bench is deeper than one person. * Related departures. Corporate development teams are small and personally networked. If other senior deal staff follow, institutional memory leaves with them. The wider pattern in device-sector leadership. Medical technology has been an active consolidator, with large platforms buying growth in structural heart, neuromodulation and diagnostics rather than waiting on internal R&D alone. In that environment, the executive who screens targets and sets price discipline is closer to the center of the strategy than an org chart suggests. Losing a leader with long tenure in that seat is a genuine transition, even when it is orderly and telegraphed a year ahead. For shareholders, the immediate practical takeaway is limited: no change to guidance, no change to the pipeline, no change to the capital structure has been disclosed alongside this. The medium-term takeaway is that Edwards has opened a search for one of the roles that most directly shapes what the company will be selling at the end of the decade. That process, and its outcome, is worth following more closely than the day's quarter-point move in the share price. Key facts. * Executive retiring: Donald E. Bobo Jr., Corporate Vice President, strategy and corporate development * Planned departure: Mid-2027; succession process already underway * EW last price: 90.21, +0.29%, as of 20:00 GMT Aug. 28, 2026 * Benchmark backdrop: SPY $769.35 (-0.23%), QQQ $716.43 (-0.65%), DIA $535.06 (-0.03%) Frequently asked questions. Who is leaving Edwards Lifesciences? Donald E. Bobo Jr., a Corporate Vice President at Edwards Lifesciences and the company's longtime leader of strategy and corporate development, has announced plans to retire. The company said a succession process is already underway to identify who will take over the role, which covers acquisitions, licensing and portfolio strategy. When will the retirement take effect? Bobo's planned departure is set for mid-2027, meaning the company disclosed the transition roughly ten months in advance. That long runway is typical of planned rather than abrupt exits and allows either an internal candidate to be developed or an external search to run without leaving the position vacant. How did Edwards Lifesciences shares react? There was no dramatic move. EW last traded at 90.21, up 0.29% from a previous close of 89.95, with a session range of 89.55 to 90.41, as of 20:00 GMT on Aug. 28, 2026. That is well within normal daily variation for a large-cap stock. Why does a corporate development role matter to investors? Corporate development decides which outside technologies a device maker buys, licenses or passes on, and at what price. Because medical device products take years to develop and win adoption, today's deal decisions shape the revenue mix several years out. The person in that seat therefore influences long-term growth more than an org chart implies. Has Edwards named a successor? Not in what has been disclosed. The company said only that a succession process is underway. Whether the replacement is promoted internally or hired externally is the clearest available signal of whether Edwards intends to keep its current approach to acquisitions and partnerships or shift toward a different pace and scale of deal-making. How did the broad market close that day? It was a mildly negative session. The S&P 500 tracker SPY closed at $769.35, down 0.23%, and the Nasdaq 100 tracker QQQ fell 0.65% to $716.43. The Dow 30 tracker DIA was near flat at $535.06, down 0.03%. Edwards finished modestly higher against that backdrop.

CroíValve announces the appointment of Jaime Wheeler as Chief Executive Officer. * 4 hrs ago CroíValve, a clinical-stage medical device company developing the DUO(TM) transcatheter tricuspid coaptation valve system, today announced the appointment of Jaime Wheeler, MBA, CPhT, as Chief Executive Officer. In conjunction with this, Lucy O'Keeffe will transition into the role of Chief Operating Officer where she will support Jaime in delivering CroíValve's mission of innovating a better way to treat tricuspid regurgitation (TR). Jaime is a transformational healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience driving innovation at the intersection of clinical excellence and business strategy. Previously, Jaime served as the Senior Vice President of Global Clinical Affairs, Transcatheter Heart Valves at Edwards Lifesciences. There, she was instrumental in bringing multiple breakthrough therapies to market. Daveigh Chase's cause of death has been revealed Jaime Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer, CroíValve CroíValve recently announced the expansion of its TANDEM II study, a US and EU based prospective, multicenter study to evaluate the safety and performance of the DUO(TM) Adapt System in patients with severe or greater symptomatic TR. Bernard Collins, Chairman of CroíValve, commented: "Jaime brings a proven track record in guiding innovative technologies to market, along with leading high-performing teams. Her leadership will be hugely beneficial in guiding the company through its commercialization journey ahead as we expand our US base and global activities. I would like to thank Lucy, on behalf of the board of directors, for her dedication in leading CroíValve successfully through development and initial clinical validation, demonstrating the value proposition of the DUO System." Jaime Wheeler, newly appointed CEO, commented: "What drew me to CroíValve is the caliber of the team and the strength of the science behind the DUO System. I've built my career on bringing challenging, innovative technologies to patients, and I'm looking forward to doing that here, for our investors and, more importantly, for the patients living with tricuspid regurgitation." Lucy O'Keeffe, newly appointed COO, former CEO and Board member, added: "As CroíValve looks towards commercialization, it is the appropriate time to bring in a leader with the right experience for this next phase. Jaime's exceptional track record of successfully bringing novel transcatheter devices to market is a tremendous asset for CroíValve. I am thrilled to collaborate with her as we embark on this exciting next chapter, accelerating our mission to deliver the DUO System to the patients who need it most." About Jaime Jaime brings more than 25 years of medical device and pharmaceutical leadership, deep clinical research expertise across Cardiology and Structural Heart, and a track record of guiding innovative technologies to market. She has managed multiple divisions and regions, including an expatriate assignment in Tokyo, Japan, and served as clinical lead on multiple successful mergers and acquisitions during her career. She joins CroíValve after 12 years at Edwards Lifesciences, most recently as Senior Vice President of Global Clinical Affairs for the Transcatheter Heart Valve business unit, where she played a pivotal role in advancing the clinical evidence that shapes transcatheter structural heart care today - most notably the PARTNER trial series. Beyond her research leadership, she is a strong advocate for patient access, representation, and health equity, and has held active roles in industry and community leadership. Jaime holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech and a Master of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University. She is a former Virginia State Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B) and a Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT). She is an active member of AdvaMed, MDEpiNet, MedTech Color, and Girls Inc. of Orange County, among other nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. About CroíValve CroíValve is a clinical stage medical device company focused on the development of a novel transcatheter device for the treatment of tricuspid regurgitation with Research, Development & Operations based in Ireland and Clinical & Regulatory based in the US. Caution: The DUO(TM) System is an investigational device and not for sale in any geography. Media gallery

Edwards Lifesciences settles FTC antitrust charges with $10M penalty over JC Medical deal. The combined $12M penalty (including a $2M penalty to Genesis MedTech) is the largest ever for failing to make an HSR filing. Amanda Pedersen, Senior Editor, MD+DI, Informa Markets - Engineering July 14, 2026 At a glance. * Edwards acquired JC Medical from Genesis MedTech in 2024. * The companies allegedly failed to comply with the requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR). * Edwards states that it complied with the requirements of the law. Edwards Lifesciences has been slapped with a $10 million penalty to settle FTC charges. The settlement follows a court ruling that determined the company violated antitrust laws when Edwards acquired JC Medical in August 2024. According to the FTC, the companies involved in the transaction failed to comply with the notification and waiting period requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act (HSR). Under the proposed final judgement, Edwards had to pay $10 million, and Genesis MedTech, the former owner of JC Medical, had to pay $2 million. The combined $12 million penalty is the largest ever for failing to make an HSR filing, according to the FTC. "Companies that try to sneak deals through without lawful FTC review should take notice," said Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson. "The FTC will be vigilant in enforcing the requirements of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, and we will not hesitate to seek penalties for its violation." With the purchase of JC Medical, Edwards acquired the intellectual property and commercial rights to its J-Valve System, a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) system for the treatment of severe aortic regurgitation (AR). Edwards made an undisclosed upfront payment for JC Medical and agreed to potential sales-based milestone payments. Genesis MedTech maintained the exclusive right to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the J-Valve System in Greater China. In July 2023, Genesis MedTech completed patient enrollment for a clinical study of the J-Valve transfemoral system for the treatment of aortic regurgitation (J-Valve TF) in China and, in 2024, concluded the one-year patient follow-up. FDA granted a breakthrough device designation for the J-Valve TF in August 2023. The company completed enrollment for an early feasibility study of the J-Valve TF in the United States in February 2024. FDA also gave a nod for JC Medical to initiate its pivotal clinical trial of the device earlier that year. Edwards' statement on the settlement. In a statement provided to MD+DI from Edwards, the company said it does not admit wrongdoing and maintains that it complied with the requirements of the law. "After careful consideration, we believe resolving this with the FTC is the best path forward as we proceed with a clear focus on our mission to innovate for structural heart patients, including those with aortic regurgitation," Edwards stated. AR is a deadly and progressive disease with limited treatment options, and Edwards says it remains committed to leveraging its structural heart knowledge to develop therapies for this underserved patient group by advancing SOJOURN and enrolling patients in the JOURNEY pivotal trial. "We are pleased to be able to conclude this matter so that we can remain focused on our mission and the important work we do for structural heart patients around the world," Edwards stated. According to the FTC complaint, Edwards and Genesis intentionally structured the deal to avoid complying with the HSR Act, which requires parties to submit an HSR form to the federal antitrust agencies and observe a waiting period before completing a transaction. The FTC said the waiting period provides antitrust agencies with time to evaluate the transaction for competitive harm. How Edwards' failed JenaValve acquisition comes into play. In July 2024, Edwards acquired JC Medical without filing under HSR and then attempted to acquire JC Medical's only competitor, JenaValve Technology, the FTC noted. Edwards first announced its intention to buy JenaValve in July 2024. About a year later, FTC challenged the Edwards-JenaValve deal in August 2025. The agency said such a deal would decrease competition in the market for a device that could treat a potentially fatal heart condition. Had the Edwards-JenaValve transaction succeeded, FTC noted, Edwards would have owned the only two companies in the United States with TAVR-AR devices in clinical trials. The FTC sued to block Edwards' acquisition of JenaValve alleging that the deal was anticompetitive and, in January 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction after a six-day hearing. How did Edwards allegedly dodge HSR review? According to the complaint, Edwards was concerned that HSR review would significantly delay closing on the acquisition of JC Medical, especially in light of its concurrent negotiations to acquire JenaValve. To avoid HSR review, Edwards and Genesis agreed that Edwards would pay $115 million, plus milestone payments, for JC Medical, which fell just below the minimum size-of-transaction threshold of $119.5 million required at the time to trigger HSR review. Edwards, however, also agreed to a contemporaneous $25 million investment in Genesis in connection with the JC Medical acquisition, according to the complaint. In substance, the transactions between Edwards and Genesis met the thresholds for mandatory reporting under HSR, as the combination amounted to more than $119.5 million, the FTC alleged. The final judgement. On top of the monetary penalties, the proposed final judgment also specifies, among other terms, that Edwards will not, without providing advance written notification to the FTC, acquire, directly or indirectly, through subsidiaries or otherwise, any ownership interest, in whole or in part, in any firm that: * Commercially sells a TAVR-AR device in the United States; * Is engaged in clinical trials in the United States for a TAVR-AR device; or * Has received an investigational device exemption from FDA to conduct clinical trials on a TAVR-AR device in the United States. Edwards also will be required to design, maintain, and operate an antitrust compliance program to ensure compliance with the final judgment and the antitrust laws. The FTC vote to accept the settlement and refer the matter to the Department of Justice for filing was 2-0. The Department of Justice filed the complaint and proposed final judgment on the FTC's behalf in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The entry of the final judgment does not constitute an admission or finding of wrongdoing or liability by any defendant, and defendants deny any wrongdoing or violation of law. Senior Editor, MD+DI, Informa Markets - Engineering Amanda Pedersen is a veteran journalist and award-winning columnist with a passion for helping medical device professionals connect the dots between the medtech news of the day and the bigger picture. She has been covering the medtech industry since 2006. Amanda Pedersen poses with her Jesse H. Neal Awards plaque after winning the "Best Commentary" category with Pedersen's POV After 18 years of reporting on the medical device and diagnostics industry, Amanda has no fear of speaking truth to power. That's important in an industry in which over half of the top 100 companies report more than $1 billion in revenue. In her weekly Pedersen's POV opinion column, she isn't afraid to shine a light on industry leaders for bad behavior. Her insights spark conversation about what price is too high to pay for corporate success in medtech. Amanda graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2003 with a B.A. in Communication. After a few years reporting for community newspapers, including the Galesburg Register Mail in Galesburg, IL, and the Marietta Daily Journal in Marietta, GA, Amanda spent 10 years covering the medical device industry for Medical Device Daily (now known as BioWorld MedTech). Amanda joined the editorial staff of MD+DI in December 2016. Want more MD+DI in your search results? Editors' choice. Jul 24, 2026