Brent Shafer

Baxter has appointed Brent Shafer as Chair and Interim CEO

Baxter International has appointed Brent Shafer, who has been serving as the company’s Lead Independent Director, as Chair and Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Shafer will be stepping down from his current role at Baxter and brings over four decades of healthcare industry experience to his new position.

Prior to joining the Baxter Board in 2022, Shafer served as Chairman and CEO of Cerner Corporation and previously held a number of senior leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, Koninklijke Philips NV, Hillrom, GE Medical Systems and Hewlett Packard’s Medical Products Group.

He also currently serves on the Boards of Tactile Systems Technology and Veracyte.

Shafer’s appointment follows José Almeida’s retirement from his executive roles at Baxter. Almeida became the company’s Chair, President and CEO at the beginning of 2016 and will now serve in an advisory capacity until 31 October 2025.

Shafer, who will serve as Interim CEO until a permanent CEO is found, said: “[Almeida] has guided the company through a period of significant evolution and portfolio repositioning… I look forward to supporting Baxter’s important work in service of its mission and working closely with the Board to identify the permanent CEO.”