Our leaders

Bernard J. Zovighian is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and on the Board of Directors of Edwards Lifesciences since May 2023, after serving as the company’s president. As CEO, Zovighian is leading Edwards into a new era of groundbreaking structural heart innovation, with a sharpened focus and pursuit of expanded opportunities to transform the care of structural heart patients worldwide. Building from Edwards’ foundation rooted in the company’s Credo, the patient-focused culture and the unique innovation strategy, Zovighian and the global Edwards employees are united and inspired to enable the company’s sustainable growth and extend its global leadership.

With a career spanning nearly three decades in medical technology, Zovighian has led global businesses across two world-class companies, during which time he lived and led teams in several countries. Zovighian blends a global mindset and a team-based approach to leadership with strengths in strategy development, innovation and adoption of disruptive technologies that elevate the standard of care, and establishment of trusted partnerships.

Zovighian joined Edwards Lifesciences in January 2015 as vice president and general manager of the Surgical business. He later served as corporate vice president of the Surgical business from 2016 until he became corporate vice president responsible for the company’s Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies (TMTT) business in January 2018. Zovighian established a global organization focused on developing a portfolio of therapies designed to change the standard of care for mitral and tricuspid patients. Prior to joining Edwards, Zovighian held roles with increasing levels of responsibility at Johnson & Johnson for nearly 20 years, including worldwide president of one of the company’s divisions.

Currently, Zovighian serves as an advisory board member for the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics at the University of Southern California. He has dual master’s degrees in science and business from Universities of Marseille, France.   

Donald E. Bobo, Jr., has been corporate vice president since 2007 and is currently responsible for Edwards' corporate strategy and corporate development functions. In addition, Bobo has executive responsibility for key heart failure initiatives as well as the U.S. healthcare solutions and commercial services team. Bobo has more than 35 years of experience in the medical technology and healthcare industry. During his time at Edwards, he served in various operating roles, including the development of the company’s Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid (TMTT) business, vice president and general manager of the Surgical business and global valve manufacturing operations. Prior to joining Edwards in 1995, Bobo held a variety of roles with increasing levels of responsibilities with American Hospital Supply, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, and InnerSpace Medical. He serves on the boards of egnite and Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) and has been a board member and chaired the executive committee of the California Life Sciences Association. Bobo received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Bob Jones University, and his master's degree in engineering from the University of Southern California.

Todd J. Brinton, M.D., has been chief scientific officer and corporate vice president, advanced innovation and technology, since 2019. Dr. Brinton has significant experience as a champion of cardiovascular innovation and has a strong patient focus as a tenured practicing clinical cardiologist. He has deep ties to the medical technology community as a founder, board member and advisor to several start-up companies, including his role as physician founder, board member, and chief medical officer of Shockwave Medical Inc., acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2024.

Dr. Brinton began his career as an engineer in the medical technology industry, ultimately becoming the director of clinical research and development (R&D) prior to leaving to enter medical school. Before joining Edwards, he was a clinical professor of medicine (cardiology) and adjunct professor of bioengineering at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He was an attending interventional cardiologist at both the Stanford University Medical Center and the Palo Alto VA Medical Center. Dr. Brinton was the fellowship director of the Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign from 2006 to 2019, where he mentored and directed numerous teams on the development of new technologies. He also served as the co-director for both the graduate and executive education programs at the center during a similar period. He is currently an adjunct professor of medicine (cardiology) at Stanford University as well as senior advisor and member of the advisory board for the Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign. He is extremely active in the American Heart Association (AHA) serving as the chair of the 2022 Bay Area Research Roundtable and the 2022 Orange County Heart and Stroke Ball. Dr. Brinton currently serves on executive committees for both programs, the AHA national research committee, and is chair elect for the board of the AHA Western region. He also serves on the board of directors for the Medical Device Manufacturers Association and advisory board for the Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Cardiovascular Innovation and Research Center at UC Irvine.

Dr. Brinton received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego in biomedical engineering, and his medical degree from the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University. He completed his internship, residency, and fellowships in cardiology and interventional cardiology at Stanford University.

Annette Brüls joined Edwards as corporate vice president, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Canada, and Latin America (EMEACLA), in August 2024. Prior to joining the company, Brüls was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Medela, a leading breast pump brand and medical device manufacturer.

Previously, Brüls held several senior leadership positions at Medtronic including president of the diabetes service and solutions division, general manager of the diabetes western Europe and Canada division and vice president of marketing for cardiac rhythm disease management. She also served as vice president of marketing at Abbott Vascular for the EMEA region.

Brüls has more than 25 years of experience leading diverse teams with a mission-driven approach, coupled with a passion for innovation and technology. She has been named among the Top 50 Technology CEOs (ranked ninth) by The Health Technology Report and Best CEO for 2020, 2021, and 2022 by Comparably. As an advocate for diversity and inclusion, she is personally dedicated to elevating women in the workplace.

Since 2021, Brüls has served on the board of Coloplast, where she is a member of the compensation and nominating committee.

She holds a bachelor’s in engineering and a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Liège’s Ecole Polytechnique, Belgium and completed additional management courses at Wharton and Harvard Business School.

Daveen Chopra joined Edwards Lifesciences in May 2018 and currently serves as corporate vice president, Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Therapies (TMTT), Surgical, and Implantable Heart Failure Management (IHFM). Chopra has broad experience in the medical technology industry, including global leadership in strategy, marketing, commercial operations, research and development, and program management. Prior to joining Edwards, Chopra held various roles with increasing levels of responsibility at Medtronic, plc, from 2005 to 2018, culminating in a global leadership role as vice president and general manager of its aortic franchise. He also served as vice president of global marketing for the endovascular therapies business, and held positions including vice president of U.S. commercial operations, director of the program management office, senior business manager for Asia-Pacific, global group product manager for thoracic stent grafts, and international aortic product manager. Prior to Medtronic, Chopra served as an international strategy consultant at The Parthenon Group supporting clients in various industries ranging from education to industrial manufacturing. He previously served on the board of Octane and is currently a board member of the CEO Leadership Alliance of Orange County. Chopra earned a dual bachelor’s degree in economics and biology from Duke University, and a master’s degree from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with honors.

Sarah Huoh became corporate vice president, public affairs, in September 2024. With more than 20 years of experience in medical technology and healthcare, she has successfully led numerous high-profile initiatives and engagements, supporting and enhancing company reputations through strategic global stakeholder engagement. Huoh joined Edwards in 2007 in global communications, and, in the following 15 years, assumed increasing levels of responsibility, leading external communications and media strategy for key Edwards milestones including the introduction of Edwards’ transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and subsequent expansions globally. In 2023, she was named senior vice president of public affairs and strategy, leading the development of the company’s global public affairs strategy, as well as the functions of global corporate giving, corporate medical affairs and patient engagement. Huoh is on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of California Life Sciences. Before joining Edwards, Huoh held communications positions with Weber Shandwick, the University of Southern California and Waste Management. She has also served as an adjunct professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Huoh received a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Southern California.

Daniel J. Lippis became corporate vice president and general manager of the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) business in September 2025. With more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries, he has successfully led across sales, marketing, business operations, and general management. 

Lippis joined Edwards in 2010, where he led marketing for the transcatheter heart valve (THV) business and subsequently oversaw the successful launches and therapeutic adoption of TAVR and the SAPIEN valve platforms in the U.S. and globally. Lippis also previously held the position of senior vice president of Europe THV, where he led sustained growth of TAVR technology in a mature market and developed a high-performing organization. In 2022, his responsibilities were expanded to include business operations and regulatory affairs for Europe, Middle East, Africa, Canada, and Latin America (EMEACLA). Prior to his current role, Lippis served as corporate vice president for Japan, Greater China, and Asia Pacific (JAPAC) beginning in January 2024. 

Before joining Edwards, Lippis held sales and marketing leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Biosense Webster and Cordis (Johnson & Johnson companies), based in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific. He received a bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Adelaide with a double major in pharmacology and human physiology, and a post-graduate diploma in marketing from the University of Technology Sydney.

Wayne Markowitz became the corporate vice president of Japan, Greater China, and Asia Pacific (JAPAC) in September 2025. He joined Edwards in August 2023 as the general manager and senior vice president of the Surgical business. Markowitz has more than 20 years of experience in the medical technology industry including general management and leadership roles in the U.S., Europe and Japan at Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific and Guidant, where he had leadership responsibilities including strategy, marketing, commercial, operations, research and development (R&D), clinical and regulatory initiatives. Prior to joining Edwards, he served as the worldwide executive vice president and global head of endovascular robotics at Siemens Healthineers. Earlier in his career, Markowitz spent several years in the financial and software industries, where he was broadly recognized for his leadership and pioneering efforts. Markowitz earned his bachelor of science degree and master’s degree in business administration from Duke University.

Christine Z. McCauley has been corporate vice president, human resources, since 2012. McCauley has more than 35 years of experience working in all the functional disciplines of human resources. Prior to assuming her current role, she served as Edwards' vice president, human resources. Before joining the company in 1999, McCauley held a variety of human resources positions at Texas Instruments, Loral (Ford) Aerospace and Bally's Health and Tennis. Currently, she is a member of the board of directors for Baxter Credit Union and Aurion Biotech. She previously served as the chair of the American Heart Association Orange County Go Red for Women and as a member of the board at Octane. McCauley earned a dual bachelor's degree in business administration and organizational effectiveness at State University of New York at Brockport and a master's degree in human resource management from Chapman University.

Joseph Nuzzolese joined Edwards as corporate vice president, global supply chain, in August 2016. His responsibilities were expanded to include quality and regulatory compliance in June 2020 and global operations in November 2025. Prior to joining the company, Nuzzolese was the vice president, supply chain, for Johnson & Johnson's global surgery business, where he was responsible for leading worldwide operations for the Ethicon and Cardio and Specialty Surgery Businesses, which included Ethicon, Ethicon EndoSurgery, Biosurgery, Biosense Webster, Acclarent, Mentor, Advanced Sterilization Products and Sterilmed. Nuzzolese has more than 25 years of experience leading all facets of supply chain and held a number of senior leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, including vice president of supply chain in the Office of Strategy & Execution, vice president of worldwide operations for Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. and vice president of drug delivery for ALZA Corp. Nuzzolese was appointed to the Orange County United Way Board of Directors in July 2018 and the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) Board of Directors in 2023. Nuzzolese received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Mark Peterson joined Edwards as corporate vice president and general counsel in April 2025. With over 30 years of legal experience as a senior in-house and outside counsel, he brings deep expertise in various disciplines, including corporate governance, securities, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, litigation, and risk management across multiple industries.

Before joining Edwards, Peterson was a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, an international law firm, where he specialized in corporate law, securities, mergers, acquisitions, capital raising, and other strategic transactions. During his career, he has served as general counsel for several public and private companies, including Conexant Systems, Targus Group International, and Meade Instruments, where he also held the role of senior vice president and managing director for the company's international operations.

Peterson holds the position of board chair for the USA Volleyball Foundation and serves as a board member for the South Coast Repertory Theatre. Additionally, he is a lecturer for the University of California, Irvine-The Paul Merage School of Business and previously was a member of the board of directors at Meade Instruments.

Peterson earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Brigham Young University and his juris doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley.

Scott B. Ullem has been chief financial officer since 2014. He is responsible for leading Edwards’ global finance organization. He also led the creation of Edwards’ Social Impact Investment Fund to expand access to capital in underserved communities. Prior to joining Edwards, he served as chief financial officer of Bemis Company Inc., an S&P 500 (Standard and Poor's 500) supplier of packaging and pressure sensitive materials used in leading food, consumer, and healthcare products. Ullem was also the executive leader of one of Bemis' three business segments. Prior to Bemis, Ullem was an investment banker for 17 years, serving as a managing director at Goldman Sachs and later at Bank of America. As an investment banker, Ullem worked with public and private companies in multiple industries on mergers and acquisitions as well as equity and debt financing. Ullem currently serves on the board of directors of Illumina. He is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Ullem received his bachelor's degree in political science from DePauw University and his master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.