Jim Mazzo announces retirement as president of AMO

Abbott Medical Optics President plans transition to new leadership by end of year.

Issue: June 10, 2012

Jim Mazzo is retiring from his position as president of Abbott Medical Optics at year’s end. Mr. Mazzo announced his retirement in an e-mail addressed to friends.

Mr. Mazzo will continue in his role as president for the remainder of the year; Murthy Simhambhatla will assume the post as president at the end of the year, Mr. Mazzo said.

An engineer by training, Mr. Simhambhatla held a series of management positions at Guidant and joined Abbott through the acquisition of that business. He also served as general manager of Abbott’s vascular business in Australia and as divisional vice president and general manager of Abbott’s drug-eluting stent business, Mr. Mazzo said.

Jim Mazzo

“Murthy is an excellent health care executive with a proven track record, and currently leads Abbott’s Ibis Biosciences business,” Mr. Mazzo said. “I’ll be working closely with Murthy over the next several months to aid him in a speedy transition to AMO and the vision care market. In the meantime, I offer my commitment to continue to focus on the needs of our stakeholders, including AMO customers, employees, the vision care industry, and the medical device community through my existing role with AdvaMed.”

During his 10-year tenure as president, Mr. Mazzo led AMO through a corporate spin-off, initial public offering, a series of acquisitions and integration with Abbott. Most recently, he served as chairman of AdvaMed.

“Although it is difficult for me to be leaving an organization I’ve spent so many years leading, growing and nurturing, it is also exciting for me to move on to the next phase of my career,” Mr. Mazzo said. “While I will still be actively involved with AMO through the end of the year, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your steadfast support and guidance during my time at AMO.”