Executive Management Team

Thomas J. Appio was named Chief Executive Officer in August 2021. In August 2016 he was promoted to President Bausch + Lomb/International. He joined the organization in 2010 as Managing Director, China. Under his leadership the organization experienced accelerated growth in revenue and profitability within many of its international businesses. Previous to joining Bausch + Lomb, he served 23 years with Schering-Plough in a wide range of leadership and operations responsibilities across multiple countries and regions.

Tom Vadaketh is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Bausch Health and is responsible for leading the finance function, including controllership, treasury, taxation and financial planning. Tom joined the company in 2022 from eResearch Technology, a global company specializing in clinical services, where he served as Executive Vice President and CFO since 2018. Prior to that, he was executive vice president and CFO of Cambrex Corporation and CFO of The Crosby Group, a KKR company. Additionally, he spent more than 20 years at Tyco International and Procter & Gamble, where he held several roles of increasing responsibility. Mr. Vadaketh received his degree from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ACA) and an MBA from Manchester Business School. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Mirza Dautbegovic is the Chief Operating Officer of Bausch Health, with responsibility for Strategy, Business Development and M&A, Information Technology, Manufacturing/Supply Chain and Real Estate/Facilities. Mirza joined Bausch Health in 2017 as Vice President, International Finance, leading the company’s finance function in all markets where the company operated, excluding the U.S. Previously, Mirza spent more than 14 years with Tyco International (later Johnson Controls), in a variety of leadership roles on the enterprise level and within multiple business segments based out of the U.S., U.K. and Switzerland. Mirza holds a degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Bridgeport and an MBA from Thunderbird, American Graduate School of International Management at Arizona State University.

Kathleen Fitzpatrick is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Bausch Health. She joined Bausch Health in 2019 as Vice President, Human Resources, leading the company’s HR efforts outside the U.S. and partnering closely with international business leaders, manufacturing and global functions. Previously, Kathleen spent more than 20 years with Honeywell in positions of increasing responsibility across several business units and countries. Prior to Honeywell, Kathleen worked in the health care and energy industries. She holds a master’s degree in HR Management from Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass. and a B.S. in Business Management and Organizational Communications from Suffolk University in Boston, as well as a Diploma in Organizational Development from the NPI Institute in the UK.

Jeff Hartness is Senior Vice President, Market Access of Bausch Health, a role he has held since 2020. He joined the company in 2016 as Vice President and Head of Strategic Account Management, responsible for planning and implementing the company’s payer strategy. He joined Bausch Health from Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, where he worked for 15 years in Market Access, leading national and regional account management teams and launch executions, ultimately serving as Head of Sanofi’s PBMs, Employers and Specialty businesses.

Cees Heiman was named Vice-President Europe Pharma in May 2017. Under his leadership, the region experienced significant growth in revenue and profitability, led by its key market, Poland, as the majority of businesses in the region outperformed their respective markets. Heiman joined the company in 2015 as Vice-President for Poland. Previous to joining Bausch Health, Heiman served with The Medicines Company for 3 years, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer. Prior to that Heiman served 25 years with Pfizer in a wide range of senior leadership and operations responsibilities. Heiman has experience working and living in 10 different countries around the world, including India and Japan.

Dr. Graham Jackson is Chief Quality Officer of Bausch Health. He joined Bausch Health in 2004 from Biovail, a predecessor company and has since assumed various roles of increasing responsibility within R&D, Technical Operations, Manufacturing & Supply and Quality. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Global Pharmaceutical Quality Operations, and prior to that, he was Vice President and Head of Bausch Health’s Global External Manufacturing & Supply organization. Graham has more than 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, including roles at Proctor & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline and Wyeth. He has a degree in biotechnology and a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering, both from the University of London and is the named inventor of more than 25 patents and patent applications.

Dr. Tage Ramakrishna has been with the company since 2011 and has led the Research & Development (R&D) function at Bausch Health since 2014. Prior to joining Bausch Health, Dr. Ramakrishna worked for Progenics Pharmaceuticals as Vice President, Clinical Research; Nycomed, where he served as Corporate Vice President of International Drug Safety, and as Medical Director for Insmed Inc. Dr. Ramakrishna trained in Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia and received a B.A. in biology from Rutgers University.

Bob Spurr is President, U.S. Businesses for Bausch Health, with responsibility for leading the company’s gastrointestinal, dermatology, dental, neurology and generics businesses. Bob was appointed President, Salix Pharmaceuticals in 2020 after serving as Senior Vice President, Market Access and Commercial Operations since joining the company in 2018. He joined Bausch Health from Novartis’ U.S. Oncology business, where he served as Vice President, Patient Solutions and Access. He began his career at Sandoz, serving in several sales and managed markets roles over a 10-year span, before moving to Aventis. He later joined Ortho-McNeil as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for its institutional franchise. He also held sales and marketing executive leadership positions at Lantheus Medical Imaging and Repligen Corporation.

Fernando Zarate was named Vice President for Latin America in 2017. Zarate joined the company in 2007, assuming responsibility for Mexico & Central America Commercial Operations. In 2014, he took regional responsibility and expanded operations in 2015 with the acquisition of Humax in Colombia, reinforcing the Andean-area business. Under Zarate’s direction, the region experienced a turnaround in profitability and continuous revenue growth for seven consecutive years. Prior to joining Bausch Health, he worked in different positions across Latin America with Teva, Schering Plough and GSK. Zarate has a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration and an MBA.