CooperCompanies said on October 27 that CEO Al White had stepped down effective immediately and that board member Walt Rosebrough had become executive chair, as Reuters and MedTech Dive reported. The company’s SEC filing records the leadership change.
White is leaving after eight years as Cooper’s CEO and 20 years with the company. He will remain as a strategic adviser through April 1, 2027. Rosebrough, previously an independent director, will take direct oversight of day-to-day operations while Cooper searches for a permanent chief executive. The board has elected him executive chair for the interim period. He led STERIS, the infection-prevention and medical-device company, as CEO from 2007 to 2021.
The board change follows a period of public pressure over performance and governance. In September, activist investor Jana Partners urged Cooper to begin an external CEO search and called for changes to the board chair role. MedTech Dive reports that the company later reduced its full-year revenue and earnings forecasts. Cooper has now launched a permanent CEO search supported by Russell Reynolds, with a board committee overseeing the process.
The refresh extends beyond the chair. Shlomo Nachman, a former Johnson & Johnson executive, is scheduled to join the board as an independent director in December. Three current directors do not plan to stand for reelection at the 2027 annual meeting; Cooper expects to nominate the other six existing members, including two who joined this year. The appointments and departures create a defined board transition alongside the executive search.
Cooper said it reaffirmed its full-year guidance. The company expects organic growth of 2% to 3% in fiscal 2026, with growth projected in both its surgical and CooperVision businesses. Those operating targets remain separate from the board’s leadership process. For another recent senior-finance appointment, see Radian’s confirmation of Dan Kobell as permanent CFO.
Jana also urged Cooper to consider selling its fertility and medical-device assets and engaging buyers for CooperVision. MedTech Dive reported that the investor called for revised compensation metrics as well. The current leadership announcement does not include a sale of those businesses. Cooper reaffirmed its 2026 operating targets: organic growth of 2% to 3%, surgical growth of 4% to 5%, and CooperVision growth of 1% to 2%.
