Kevin Buehler appointed president, CEO of Alcon

HUNENBERG, Switzerland — Kevin Buehler will become president and chief executive officer of Alcon on April 1, the company announced in a press release.

Mr. Buehler will replace Cary Rayment, Alcon's current president and chief executive officer, whose retirement will become effective on March 31. However, Mr. Rayment will carry on as a director and non-executive chairman of the board, according to the release.

Mr. Buehler will also be nominated as a board member, which is subject to shareholder approval at Alcon's annual general meeting in May.

Currently, Mr. Buehler serves as senior vice president of global markets and chief marketing officer of Alcon subsidiary Alcon Laboratories, in which he oversees all divisions of the company's surgical, pharmaceutical and consumer groups.

Mr. Buehler joined Alcon in 1984 as a regional sales manager in the company's consumer products division and has held numerous sales and marketing positions since. He has also served as director of Alcon's managed care and Falcon generic pharmaceutical groups and was subsequently promoted to vice president in 1998. In 1999, he became vice president and general manager of the U.S. consumer products division.

In January 2002, Mr. Buehler became vice president of Alcon's international division and regional manager for Latin America and the Caribbean. He was subsequently named area vice president for Latin America, Canada, Australia and the Far East.

"I am delighted and excited to have the opportunity to lead Alcon and our 15,000 employees into the future," Mr. Buehler said in the release. "Alcon is well-positioned as the leader in our industry, and I will do all that I can to build on that sound foundation to allow Alcon to achieve sustained growth in the future."