ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Oct. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Abbott (NYSE: ABT) announced today that Robert B. Ford has been named president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. Mr. Ford, a 22-year Abbott veteran, was most recently executive vice president of Medical Devices, Abbott's largest business.

In addition to his current responsibilities for Medical Devices, Mr. Ford, 45, will assume responsibility for all of Abbott's operating businesses. Mr. Ford will continue to report to Miles D. White, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Abbott.

Mr. Ford has held various management positions across several of Abbott's businesses, including Diagnostics, Nutrition and Medical Devices. As head of Abbott's Medical Devices business for the past three years, Mr. Ford oversaw the integration of the St. Jude Medical acquisition, the largest acquisition in Abbott's history. He previously led Abbott's Diabetes Care business and the launch of Abbott's revolutionary glucose monitoring system, FreeStyle^® Libre. 

"Robert is a strong leader who consistently demonstrates Abbott's successful management philosophy and strategy, and has a successful track record of delivering business results," said Mr. White.

Mr. Ford originally joined Abbott in Brazil, and earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Boston College and a master's degree in business administration from the University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business.

About Abbott:
Abbott is a global healthcare company devoted to improving life through the development of products and technologies that span the breadth of healthcare. With a portfolio of leading, science-based offerings in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic pharmaceuticals, Abbott serves people in more than 150 countries and employs approximately 99,000 people.

Visit Abbott at www.abbott.com and connect with us on Twitter at @AbbottNews.

SOURCE Abbott