Varian CEO to retire following Siemens acquisition

Varian CEO Dow Wilson, after over 16 years with the firm, will retire upon successful completion of the proposed combination of Varian and Siemens Healthineers. He will be succeeded by Chris Toth, Varian president and COO, who will become CEO of the Varian business segment of Siemens Healthineers upon transaction close. Toth will report directly to Dr. Bernd Montag, CEO of Siemens Healthineers.

The completion of the transaction is expected to occur in the first half of calendar year 2021. Wilson has agreed to serve as a special advisor to Siemens Healthineers.

“On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Dow for his exceptional leadership and many contributions to Varian,” Andrew Eckert, Chairman of the Board, told the press. “Since his appointment as CEO in 2012, Dow has led Varian’s efforts to define a new era in cancer care. In addition to significantly extending the company’s market leadership and innovation in radiation therapy, he oversaw Varian’s progress in bringing artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud solutions to the fight against cancer. Through this strategic transformation, Varian has achieved double-digit growth and created 4,000 jobs over the last five years, and importantly, has enabled more successful outcomes for millions of patients worldwide.”

“It has been a privilege to serve Varian as CEO for nearly a decade,” said Wilson. “We have made incredible advances in the fight against cancer, and our transformational combination with Siemen Healthineers will bring us even closer to achieving our vision of a world without fear of cancer. Working alongside such a talented, dedicated team has been the highlight of my career, and I am confident that under Chris’ leadership, Varian will continue to increase its patient impact and build on the strong foundation we have established together. I will always be an ardent supporter of Varian, and look forward to following along from the sidelines and seeing all that this team accomplishes in the years to come.”

“I’m honored to lead Varian as we enter this new exciting chapter with Siemens Healthineers,” said Toth. “It’s incredible to see how Varian has evolved and grown since I first joined over 20 years ago—all while staying true to our relentless belief that we can beat cancer. As we move forward, I’m confident that the passion and unwavering commitment to Varian’s mission that Dow has inspired among the entire team will continue to propel our company to even greater success in the future.” MPO