STAAR Surgical Company announced that its Board of Directors (the ?Board?) has appointed Warren Foust, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Deborah Andrews, Chief Financial Officer, as interim co-Chief Executive Officers, effective February 1, 2026. Mr. Foust and Ms. Andrews will work together with the other members of the executive leadership team, with support and guidance from the Board, as they lead the Company and manage its day-to-day operations. As previously disclosed, the Board has established a Search Committee, composed of directors Lilian Y. Zhou (Chair), Mr. Bradsher, Wei Jiang, Louis E. Silverman, and Christopher M. Wang.
The Search Committee has initiated a global search for STAAR?s new CEO, including both internal and external candidates. The Committee is engaging with executive search firms and evaluating interest from qualified candidates. Mr. Foust,age 50, joined STAAR in April 2023 as Chief Operating Officer and was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2025.
In this role, Mr. Foust oversaw global sales, marketing, manufacturing, and operations. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, including Worldwide President of Surgical Vision and Worldwide President of Mentor, along with earlier roles at Roche, Aventis, and DePuy Synthes. Mr. Foust serves on a variety of boards and advisory councils including the Ophthalmology Foundation, Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, Octane, ASCRS Industry Relations, AECOS North America, and the Board of Visitors for the University of Alabama.
He holds an M.A. in Marketing and a B.A. in Public Relations from the University of Alabama. Ms. Andrews, age 68, rejoined STAAR in March 2025 as Interim Chief Financial Officer and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in June 2025. In this role, Ms. Andrews oversaw STAAR?s finance, accounting, and internal audit functions, as well as information technology and investor relations.
Since April 2014, Ms. Andrews has served on the Board of Directors of Lineage Cell Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused in the field of regenerative medicine. She currently serves as its Audit Committee Chair and has previously served as its Compensation Committee Chair. Ms. Andrews served in various accounting and finance leadership roles at STAAR from 1995 until her retirement in 2020, including twice as Chief Financial Officer from September 2017 until June 2020, and from 2005-2013.
Ms. Andrews spent three years from 1991 to 1994 as a Senior Accountant for KPMG. Ms. Andrews holds a B.S. in Accounting from California State University at San Bernardino.
