Baxter EVP, Chief Operating Officer and Medical Products and Therapies Group Interim President Heather Knight is leaving to become chief commercial officer at Solventum.
Baxter and Solventum announced the news today. Knight’s resignation takes effect Oct. 29.
At that time, Baxter President and CEO Andrew Hider will take over as interim president of the Medical Products and Therapies (MPT) group. Baxter says it will no longer have a COO.
(Knight was featured on the cover of Medical Design & Outsourcing‘s October 2025 Women in Medtech issue.)
“I am thrilled to join Solventum at this pivotal time in the execution of the company’s multi-year strategic plan,” Knight said in a Solventum news release. “Solventum has leading businesses with the right to win in their respective markets, and I look forward to working with the team to continue strengthening commercial productivity and market development.”
Knight starts in the newly created role at Solventum on Nov. 10, reporting directly to CEO Bryan Hanson. She’ll oversee oversee global commercial and R&D operations across the device developer’s MedSurg, Dental Solutions and Health Information Systems segments.
“Heather’s appointment to the new role of chief commercial officer reflects Solventum’s commitment to building a high-performing organization and progress to becoming a leading global medtech company,” Hanson said in the news release. “By aligning our go-to-market strategy under one leader, we will enhance our ability to leverage the size and scale of Solventum, driving more coordinated execution and profitable growth. Heather is an industry veteran who brings a long history of strategic vision, commercial discipline and deep sector experience that will be instrumental as we execute our transformation as a standalone company.”
Solventum also said that EVP and MedSurg Group President Chris Barry — the former CEO of NuVasive — will leave Solventum on Dec. 31.
“I want to thank Chris for his tremendous leadership and contributions to Solventum,” Hanson said. “Chris has played an important role in leading our largest business segment, and we are pleased that he will stay with us through the remainder of the year to support a seamless transition.”
The company said in an SEC filing that Barry will be eligible for executive severance benefits pending a general release of claims.
Knight joined Baxter from Medtronic in 2019 and in 2023 became EVP and MPT group president. This February, José (Joe) Almeida announced his immediate retirement as Baxter’s chair, president and CEO, and Knight was promoted to the role of EVP and COO while maintaining leadership of the MPT group as an interim role.
At the time of Almeida’s retirement, Baxter listed COO responsibilities as handling day-to-day business operations, such as global sales, marketing, R&D, supply chain and medical and regulatory affairs. In today’s SEC filing, the company did not specify who might now hold responsibility for these areas in lieu of a COO with Knight’s departure.
Knight, Almeida and a handful of other executives were recently named as a defendant in an investor lawsuit filed against Baxter alleging the violation federal securities laws as a result of issues with certain infusion pumps.
— Managing Editor Jim Hammerand contributed to this report.
