After its longtime chief was ousted last year following a proxy battle, Masimo has now appointed a new CEO. The medtech has tapped Katie Szyman for the role, who has been serving as the worldwide president of BD’s patient monitoring business.
Szyman previously led the connected care group at Edwards Lifesciences, with its portfolio spanning hospital sensor hardware and digital infrastructure as well as 4,500 employees, which the company sold to BD last September for $4.2 billion.
“I have long admired Masimo as an innovation leader, and I could not be more excited about the opportunity to grow the business and deliver improved outcomes for millions more patients around the world,” Szyman said in a statement.
Last year, Masimo’s proxy fight with activist investor Politan Capital Management culminated with Politan placing two of its nominees on the company’s board of directors—leading to the departure of the medtech’s founder and CEO, Joe Kiani.
The move came after Politan, with its 9% stake, had gained two board seats the year prior, which were claimed in June 2023 by the firm’s managing partner, Quentin Koffey, and Michelle Brennan, a former executive at Johnson & Johnson.
Following Kiani’s departure last September, Brennan took over as interim CEO. Now, Brennan is set to become chairman of Masimo’s board of directors. Her move, as well as Syzman’s tenure as chief, are scheduled to take effect Feb. 12.
“We wanted our next CEO to be someone who is passionate about the role and inspiring as well as engaging the team at Masimo—and Katie made clear that she is that person,” Brennan said. “Her advanced patient monitoring category knowledge and deep existing relationships within the industry position her to make an immediate impact as she works with the Board on prioritizing our pipeline to focus on large opportunities, while developing a clear strategy for bringing our next generation patient monitoring platform to market.”