Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has tapped Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) executive Jean-Luc Butel as the next president of its international business unit.
The Deerfield, Ill.-based medical device & diagnostics giant said Butel will assume his new position effective February 20, 2012. He currently holds the executive vice president and group president, international position at Minn.-based med-tech titan Medtronic.
Butel, 55, will be responsible for leading Baxter’s international operations and will report directly to Robert Parkinson Jr., chairman & CEO of Baxter.
Butel joined Medtronic in 2003 and has led the company’s international business operations and the Asia Pacific regions since he first took his position.
In August, his job description changed slightly when MDT CEO Omar Ishrak gave him the charge to concentrate on emerging markets.
Ishrak re-shuffled the company’s executive committee with the goal of “improving execution, optimizing innovation and accelerating globalization,” according to an email sent to employees.
“Geographic expansion continues to be a key growth driver for Baxter. Our global presence and the strength of our country and regional organizations position us to meet the ever increasing demand for healthcare worldwide, particularly for the medically necessary products that we provide,” Parkinson Jr. said in prepared remarks. “Jean-Luc brings significant international expertise to Baxter, and he will be a tremendous asset to the company in his new role leading our international business.”
The Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter develops, manufactures and markets products for hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma and other chronic and acute medical conditions.
