A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

Cardinal Health (Dublin, Ohio) reported that Kerry Clark, company president/CEO, will become CEO and chairman, effective Nov. 8 following the company’s 2007 annual smeeting. Clark succeeds Cardinal founder Robert Walter who plans to retire at the end of the company’s 2008 fiscal year.

Since joining Cardinal in April 2006, Clark has continued the company’s focus on serving healthcare providers, divested businesses that fell outside this focus, acquired several companies to complement and grow core businesses and implemented organizational changes to improve operational performance, the company said in a statement.

Walter launched the company in 1971 when he bought a food wholesaling company and grew it into the largest publicly held company in Ohio, now with 55,000 employees.

Walter will serve as executive director until June 30, 2008, after which he will retire from the company but remain on the board.

“The time is right for Kerry to become chairman,” Walter said. “Our transition has gone extremely well, and the company is thriving under Kerry’s leadership. I’m as confident as ever about Cardinal Health and its future.”