Our leaders

Michael A. Mussallem was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of Edwards Lifesciences in 2000, when it became an independent, publicly traded company. Under his leadership, Edwards has established its position as a global leader in patient-focused medical innovations with the introduction of lifesaving and life-sustaining therapies such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, new resilient surgical valves designed for active patients and non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring. Driven by a passion to help patients, the company collaborates with the world's leading clinicians and researchers to address unmet healthcare needs, working to improve patient outcomes and enhance lives while delivering value to the healthcare system. Mussallem has not only led the development and successful implementation of the company’s patient-focused innovation strategy, but also established Edwards’ commitment to philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. Since 2004, the company and Edwards Lifesciences Foundation have gifted almost $90 million to non-profit organizations around the world supporting underserved patients and strengthening communities where its employees live and work. In 2014, Edwards Lifesciences Foundation launched Every Heartbeat Matters, which has impacted more than 1.7 million underserved people and aims to improve the lives of 2.5 million additional underserved structural heart and critical care patients by the end of 2025. During Mussallem’s tenure, Edwards has been recognized among the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute, an organization that defines and advances standards of ethical business practices. In 2019, Edwards was named as one of the Management Top 250 by The Wall Street Journal in partnership with the Drucker Institute, and was also cited as one of the 8 “all stars” achieving high marks in five dimensions of corporate performance. Mussallem has been honored by the Harvard Business Review in its annual Best-Performing CEOs in the World list, including, most recently, in 2019. He has received a number of honors including the UC Irvine Medal, a lifetime achievement award from The Phoenix Conference and the Wenger Award for Excellence in Corporate Leadership by WomenHeart. Prior to his current position, Mussallem held a variety of positions at Baxter International from 1979 until 2000, when Edwards was spun off from Baxter. Currently, Mussallem serves on the board of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) and is an advisory board member for the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics at the University of Southern California. He is a trustee of the University of California, Irvine Foundation and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. Mussallem has served as board chairman of both AdvaMed and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI). He received a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and an honorary doctorate degree from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Donald E. Bobo, Jr., has been corporate vice president since 2007 and is currently responsible for the company’s corporate strategy and corporate development functions. In addition, Bobo has executive responsibility for disease awareness and heart failure initiatives as well as the healthcare solutions and commercial services team. Bobo has more than 30 years of experience in the medical products and healthcare industry in various leadership roles at Edwards including, most recently, the development of the company’s Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies organization, vice president and general manager of the Surgical Structural Heart business and global valve manufacturing operations. Prior to joining Edwards, Bobo held a variety of roles with increasing levels of responsibilities with American Hospital Supply and Baxter Healthcare, including research and development, business development, operations and general management. He has served as board chairman of the California Life Sciences Association (CLSA). Bobo received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Bob Jones University, and a master's degree in engineering from the University of Southern California.

Todd J. Brinton, M.D., joined Edwards as corporate vice president, advanced technology and chief scientific officer in February 2019. Dr. Brinton has significant experience as a champion of cardiovascular innovation, as well as a strong patient focus as a practicing clinician. He has deep ties to the medical technology community as a founder, board member and advisor to several start-up companies including his role as physician founder, board member, and chief medical officer of Shockwave Medical, Inc. Dr. Brinton began his career as an engineer in the medical technology industry, ultimately becoming a director of clinical research and development, prior to enrolling in medical school. Before joining Edwards, he was clinical professor of medicine (cardiology) and adjunct professor of bioengineering at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He has been an attending interventional cardiologist at both the Stanford University Medical Center and the Palo Alto VA Medical Center. Dr. Brinton served as the fellowship director at the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign from 2006-2019, where he worked with numerous teams on the development of new technologies, in addition to serving as the co-director for both the graduate and executive education programs at the center. In 2021, he joined the board of the Alliance for SoCal Innovation and the advisory board for the Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology at UC Irvine. Dr. Brinton received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego in biomedical engineering. He earned his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School, and completed his internship, residency, and fellowships in both cardiology and interventional cardiology at Stanford.

Daveen Chopra joined Edwards as corporate vice president, Surgical Structural Heart in June 2018. Chopra has broad experience in the medical technology industry including global leadership in strategy, marketing, commercial operations, research and development, and program management. Prior to joining Edwards, Chopra held various roles with increasing levels of responsibility at Medtronic. He was the global leader, serving as vice president and general manager, of Medtronic’s aortic franchise, part of Medtronic’s aortic and peripheral vascular business. Chopra previously served as vice president of global marketing leading Medtronic’s endovascular therapies business. While in Medtronic’s endovascular therapies business, he served as vice president, U.S. commercial operations, director of program management office, senior business manager for the endovascular and peripheral business in Asia-Pacific, global group product manager for thoracic stent grafts, and international aortic product manager. Prior to Medtronic, Chopra served as an international strategy consultant at The Parthenon Group supporting clients in various industries ranging from education to industrial manufacturing. Chopra earned a dual bachelors degree in economics and biology from Duke University, and a masters from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with honors.

Dirksen J. Lehman has been corporate vice president, public affairs, since June 2013. He joined the company in 2007 as vice president of government affairs, and later added responsibility for global health economics and reimbursement. In his current role, Lehman continues to oversee these functions and also has responsibility for global communications, corporate branding, corporate medical affairs, global corporate giving, and patient engagement. Prior to joining Edwards, he was head of the healthcare practice at Clark & Weinstock, a government affairs and crisis management consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Lehman has also served in The White House as special assistant to the president for legislative affairs, and health counsel for the majority on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He serves as treasurer of the board of directors for the California Life Sciences Association, and is a member of the board of directors for Team Heart and St. John’s Episcopal School. Lehman received his undergraduate degree from Millersville University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from Catholic University of America.

Jean-Luc Lemercier has been corporate vice president, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Canada and Latin America since July 2017. Prior to assuming his current role, Lemercier served as vice president of transcatheter heart valves EMEA since 2008. Under his leadership at Edwards, the company successfully launched the SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve technology and built its leadership position in Europe. Before joining Edwards, Lemercier served various leadership roles with Johnson & Johnson Cordis from 1996-2008, including leader of the structural heart disease group in the United States; vice president of new business development in Europe, vice president of the Cordis cardiology Europe division in Belgium; and general manager of Cordis France. Lemercier has more than 30 years of medical device experience, beginning with Baxter in France, and held several sales and marketing management positions within Baxter Europe and the United States. Lemercier holds a degree as a doctor in pharmacy from the Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University in Lyon, France.

Christine Z. McCauley has been corporate vice president, human resources, since 2012. McCauley has more than 30 years of experience working in all the functional disciplines of human resources. Prior to assuming her current role, she served as Edwards' vice president, human resources. Before joining the company in 1999, McCauley held a variety of human resources positions at Texas Instruments, Loral (Ford) Aerospace and Bally's Health and Tennis. Currently, she is a member of the board of directors of Baxter Credit Union and CorneaGen, and previously served on the board at Octane. McCauley earned a dual bachelor's degree in business administration and organizational effectiveness at The College at Brockport State University of New York and a master's degree in human resource management from Chapman University.

Gary I. Sorsher was appointed vice president, quality and regulatory compliance, in June 2020. Sorsher joined Edwards in 2015 as vice president, quality, for the early transcatheter mitral valve therapies organization. He later was appointed to a new role as vice president of quality for the valve network, and was the key quality partner to the Surgical Structural Heart leadership team. Most recently, Gary was the vice president of quality responsible for Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies (TMTT), advanced technology (AT), quality laboratories and pilot operations. Prior to joining Edwards, Sorsher was vice president of corporate quality compliance and medical device operations at Allergan, Inc., with responsibility for U.S. and international device facilities. Previously, Sorsher held quality leadership roles at Endologix, Inc., C.R. Bard, Inc., and Cordis, Johnson & Johnson. He serves on the board of trustees for Orange County Ronald McDonald House. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Byelorussian Polytechnic Institute, Minsk, USSR.

Joseph Nuzzolese joined Edwards as corporate vice president, global supply chain, in August 2016. Prior to joining the company, Nuzzolese was the vice president, supply chain, for Johnson & Johnson’s global surgery business, where he was responsible for leading worldwide operations for the Ethicon and Cardio and Specialty Surgery Businesses, which included Ethicon, Ethicon EndoSurgery, Biosurgery, Biosense Webster, Acclarent, Mentor, Advanced Sterilization Products and Sterilmed. Nuzzolese has more than 25 years of experience leading all facets of supply chain and held a number of senior leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, including vice president of supply chain in the Office of Strategy & Execution, vice president of worldwide operations for Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. and vice president of drug delivery for ALZA Corp. Nuzzolese was appointed to the Orange County United Way Board of Directors in July 2018. In November 2018, he joined the Albert Dorman Honors College Board of Visitors at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (his alma mater). Nuzzolese received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Katie Szyman has been corporate vice president since 2015 and is currently responsible for the company’s global critical care and vascular business. Prior to joining Edwards, Szyman held a variety of roles with increasing levels of responsibility for more than 20 years at Medtronic. She served as president of Medtronic’s global diabetes business for five years, overseeing research, development, operations, and sales and marketing. She also served as senior vice president of corporate strategy and business development, VP and general manager of endovascular, and VP of finance for the vascular business. Szyman currently serves on the boards of Inari Medical Inc., Octane and the American Heart Association of Orange County. She previously served on the boards of Tornier, Inspire Medical Systems and the California Healthcare Institute (CHI). She graduated from the University of St. Thomas and earned her master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

Scott B. Ullem has been corporate vice president, chief financial officer since January 2014. Prior to joining Edwards, he was the chief financial officer of Bemis Company, a Fortune 500 packaging company focused on the consumer products, food and healthcare industries. Ullem also had leadership responsibility for one of Bemis' three business segments and the company's information technology function. Before joining Bemis, Ullem spent 17 years in global investment banking, serving as managing director at Goldman Sachs and later for Bank of America. He serves on the board of directors for Berry Global, Inc. and is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He is a passionate supporter of healthcare initiatives aimed at improving hospital quality and safety. Ullem received a bachelor's degree in political science from DePauw University and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

Huimin Wang, M.D., is corporate vice president, Japan, Asia and Pacific. Prior to his current role, Wang was responsible for the company’s Japan and Intercontinental regions. Since joining the company – then Baxter International – in 1993, Wang has served in a number of roles, including senior manager of strategy development, director of product/therapy for Baxter’s renal division in Japan, president of medical systems and devices, responsible for both the cardiovascular and intravenous systems businesses in Japan, and representative director of Baxter Limited. Before joining Baxter, Wang was a senior associate with Booz, Allen & Hamilton in Chicago, vice president of Integrated Strategies, a consulting and venture management firm he co-founded, and an associate with McKinsey & Company. Prior to that, Wang was a resident and staff physician in anesthesiology at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo. He serves on the board of directors at The Ascend Foundation. Wang received a doctor of medicine degree from Kagoshima University in Japan, and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago.

Arnold A. Pinkston joined Edwards as Corporate Vice President, General Counsel in July 2019. Pinkston has more than 30 years of experience as a lawyer and business leader including serving as general counsel at Allergan, general counsel at Beckman Coulter, deputy general counsel at Eli Lilly and Company and chief legal officer at CoreLogic, Inc. Throughout his career he has built and led high-performing global teams and managed complex business and legal issues relating to litigation, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, board governance, compliance, finance and securities. Pinkston currently serves as a board member for Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE: BIO) and the Forum for Corporate Directors. He is also on the Orange County Community Foundation’s Board of Governors. He received a bachelor's degree in geophysics from Yale College and a juris doctor degree from Yale Law School.

Larry L. Wood has been corporate vice president, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, since 2007, and has been responsible for key company R&D, operations, marketing, commercial, clinical and regulatory initiatives in transcatheter valve replacement around the globe since the program was a development project. Under his leadership, the Edwards SAPIEN heart valve has won numerous awards, including the Prix Galien “Best Medical Technology Product” award and was named Popular Science’s “Best of What’s New” Grand Award winner in the Health category. Wood has more than 25 years of experience in the medical device industry at both Edwards and Baxter International, and is a frequently invited faculty member at key interventional cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery scientific congresses. Wood previously held key positions in manufacturing management, regulatory affairs, and strategic and clinical marketing, primarily in the company’s leading surgical heart valve franchise. Wood received his master’s degree in business administration from Pepperdine University.

Bernard J. Zovighian has been corporate vice president since January 2016 and is currently responsible for the company’s Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies (TMTT) business. The patients impacted by mitral and tricuspid heart valve diseases suffer from debilitating conditions that, at best, severely diminish their quality of life, and at worst, are life threatening. As the leader for Edwards TMTT since 2018, Zovighian has established an organization focused on developing and delivering a portfolio of therapies designed to change the standard of care for mitral and tricuspid patients. Zovighian joined Edwards Lifesciences in January 2015 as vice president and general manager of the Surgical Structural Heart business, later serving as corporate vice president from 2016-2017. During his leadership of Edwards’ surgical therapies, the company received regulatory approval and launched two important breakthrough therapies globally, as well as completed an acquisition of a pioneering beating-heart repair for degenerative mitral regurgitation. Prior to joining Edwards, Zovighian held a variety of roles with increasing levels of responsibility at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for nearly 20 years, including worldwide president of Advanced Sterilization Products, president of JJMP – J&J’s medical technology businesses in Canada – and Cordis. Zovighian has extensive senior leadership experience in the medical technology industry in Europe and North America where he has led the development and adoption of disruptive technology that has elevated the standard of care. He received a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from University of Marseille and an executive MBA from Euromed Management, both in France.