Boston Scientific bids farewell to MedSurg, endoscopy president after 30-plus years

This summer, Boston Scientific will lose one of its longest-serving executives as David Pierce heads into retirement after spending his entire career with the medtech giant.

Pierce announced at the end of March his intent to depart from Boston Scientific, according to a filing Tuesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Fittingly, his retirement will take effect on Independence Day, July 4.

Pierce is an executive vice president with the company and president of both its endoscopy and medical surgical segments, the latter of which encompasses treatments in the realm of urology and pelvic health.

His spot at the head of the MedSurg business will be passed on to Arthur Butcher, currently an executive VP and president of Boston Scientific’s Asia-Pacific business. He will simply add the MedSurg group president title to those existing roles.

Taking over the endoscopy business, meanwhile, is the segment's general manager Michael Jones. His and Butcher’s new titles will take effect May 2, when Jones will retain his senior VP spot and step up into the president role within the endoscopy business.

In his remaining months at Boston Scientific, Pierce “intends to lead efforts to transition his responsibilities to his successors,” according to the SEC filing.

Pierce joined the company in 1991, right after graduating from college and completing about a four-year stint in the U.S. Army.

He started as a territory manager, then spent the ensuing three decades working his way up through “management-level positions of increasing responsibility,” according to his company bio. That included a climb through the ranks of the endoscopy segment—as group marketing director, vice president of marketing and, for about six years beginning in 2011, president of the business and a senior vice president of the company.

After that, he was named a senior VP and president of urology and pelvic health in mid-2016, before graduating to the title of executive VP and president of the MedSurg group in 2018. In early 2020, he added the endoscopy president title to that roster.

Outside of his official job duties, Pierce has also joined Boston Scientific’s Global Council for Inclusion and serves as executive sponsor of its VETS employee resource group aimed at supporting active-duty veterans and their families.