QuidelOrtho Adds Two Independent Directors to its Board

QuidelOrtho Corporation has appointed John R. Chiminski and R. Scott Huennekens to its Board of Directors.

“We are excited to welcome John and Scott to our Board,” QuidelOrtho Board Chairman Kenneth F. Buechler said. “They bring proven track records of growth and value creation as CEOs and board members of healthcare, biopharma and medtech companies. We are confident they will be significantly additive to the board as we work with management to continue their positive momentum in executing QuidelOrtho’s growth and transformation plans and in creating further shareholder value.”

The appointments align with QuidelOrtho’s commitment to maintaining a strong, independent board with the right mix of expertise and experience. The appointments also are the culmination of a comprehensive search led by the board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and supported by an independent executive search firm.

“I believe QuidelOrtho’s best days lie ahead as we strengthen our leadership team and board. Both John and Scott bring valuable global experience, diverse expertise and a broad perspective that will be assets to the Company,” QuidelOrtho President/CEO Brian J. Blaser stated. “I look forward to benefiting from their guidance and partnership as we execute our transformational strategy, deliver enhanced financial results and bring forth innovative technologies that raise the performance of diagnostic testing and produce better patient outcomes.”

As a former CEO and board chair, Chiminski has a diversified medical diagnostics and pharmaceutical background, which includes operations leadership, product development and services, and a strong track record of growing global businesses. He was CEO of Catalent from 2009 to 2022, assumed the board chair role in 2016, and served as executive chair from 2022 to 2023. He was instrumental in establishing Catalent as a standalone public company after its carve-out from Cardinal Health and transforming the company into a market leader in biopharma services. Prior to that, Chiminski spent more than 20 years with GE Healthcare in roles of increasing responsibility, ultimately serving as president and CEO of GE Medical Diagnostics, a global business with $1.9 billion in sales.

Huennekens is a successful medtech CEO, chair, board member, entrepreneur, and investor and has been involved in more than 20 startups and public companies. He was chair, president and CEO of Verb Surgical, an independent surgical technology start-up jointly formed by Google and Johnson & Johnson, from 2015 to 2019. Before Verb Surgical, he was president and CEO at Volcano Corporation, a leader in minimally invasive therapy guidance in interventional cardiology, and prior to that, was president and CEO at Digirad Corporation, a coronary imaging solutions provider. Previously, Huennekens held various leadership positions at Baxter Healthcare, Birtcher Medical Systems, and Deloitte and Touche. He currently serves as board chair at Envista Holdings and Hyperfine.

As previously announced, James R. Prutow and Robert R. Schmidt resigned from the board, in conjunction with the closing of the secondary offering of QuidelOrtho common stock by The Carlyle Group. With Chiminski’s and Huennekens’ appointments, the board will comprise 11 directors, 10 of whom are independent.

“On behalf of the Board, I also want to acknowledge James and Robert for their insights and contributions. We thank them for their service to the company,” Dr. Buechler added.

QuidelOrtho Corporation develops and manufactures intelligent in-vitro diagnostic solutions that transform data into understanding and action. The company offers expertise in immunoassay and molecular testing, clinical chemistry, and transfusion medicine, bringing fast, accurate and reliable diagnostics when and where they are needed—from home to hospital, lab to clinic. QuidelOrtho partners with customers across the healthcare continuum and worldwide to forge a new diagnostic frontier.