Bausch + Lomb Names John Barr Global President Surgical

ROCHESTER, N.Y. and ALISO VIEJO, Calif., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bausch + Lomb, the global eye health company, has named John Barr Global President of the company's Surgical business.  In this capacity, Barr will oversee the company's full suite of ophthalmic surgical products, intraocular lenses (IOLs) and delivery systems, which include such brand names as enVista™ Crystalens®, Stellaris® PC, Storz™ and VICTUS™.           

"John Barr is a seasoned leader with an impressive track record driving business performance at innovation-based companies," said Brent L. Saunders, chief executive officer, Bausch + Lomb.  "The combination of John's deep experience in global operations and strategy, customer focus, and collaborative approach to doing business make him the ideal choice to further accelerate the momentum of our Surgical business and Bausch + Lomb." 

Barr has extensive healthcare experience spanning medical device and biotechnology in a wide variety of operational, strategy and customer-facing roles.  He will be based at the company's Surgical headquarters in Aliso Viejo, CA, and will report to Saunders. 

"Bausch + Lomb is an iconic company with a robust portfolio of innovative products, a promising pipeline, and strong momentum," said Barr.  "I'm looking forward to collaborating with my Bausch + Lomb colleagues, customers and partners, to positively impact the professionals and patients that depend on us."

Immediately prior to joining Bausch + Lomb, Barr was President and CEO of AGA Medical, a pioneer of minimally invasive devices to treat structural heart defects and vascular abnormalities.  During his six years with the company, Barr more than doubled sales, while gross margins expanded from 79 percent to 86 percent.  Barr also established strong sales channels across Europe and the United States to support sales in more than 112 countries.  Under his leadership, AGA Medical completed a successful IPO before ultimately being acquired by St. Jude Medical.

Barr also spent more than eight years at V.I. Technologies, an anti-infective therapeutics company as its President and COO.  Prior to joining V.I. Technologies, Barr spent seven years with Haemonetics, a manufacturer of blood processing technology, in a variety of customer service and operations roles before ultimately being named President of North American Operations. 

Earlier in his career, Barr spent nearly 10 years at Baxter Healthcare starting with a series of financial and operational assignments.  By 1988, Barr was promoted to Vice President of the company's healthcare IT solutions division, which ultimately merged with IBM Hospital Systems.

Barr is a graduate of the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management-Northwestern University in Evanston, IL where he earned his master's degree in Accounting and Economics.  He earned his undergraduate degree in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Barr is also a former member of the Board of Directors for AdvaMed.       

About Bausch + Lomb Surgical
Bausch + Lomb's Surgical portfolio includes a full suite of ophthalmic surgical products, intraocular lenses (IOLs) and delivery systems. The company's line of intraocular lenses feature the Crystalens®, SofPort®, Akreos™  and the newest addition, enVista™ which is available in Europe with approval pending in the United States. Its surgical systems include Stellaris® and Stellaris® PC, which are used to perform phacoemulsification and vitrectomy surgery, as well as the VICTUS™ femtosecond laser that uniquely supports cataract, refractive and therapeutic procedures in one versatile platform. Rounding out the company's portfolio are a full range of surgical instruments and devices, including the Storz™ line of instruments and visco surgical devices including Ocucoat®, Amvisc® and Amvisc® Plus.

About Bausch + Lomb
Bausch + Lomb is one of the best-known and most respected healthcare companies in the world. Its core businesses include contact lenses and lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments, and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. Founded in 1853, the company is headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. Its products are available in more than 100 countries. More information is available at www.bausch.com.

News Media Contacts:

Adam Grossberg
Bausch + Lomb
+1-973-360-6439 or [email protected]

Elizabeth Murphy
Bausch + Lomb
+1 585-338-8528 or [email protected]

SOURCE Bausch + Lomb