Novartis announced its intention to spinoff Alcon, its eye care division, into a separately-traded standalone company. Mike Ball will become Chairman-designate of Alcon, effective July 1, 2018, reporting to Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis. Mr. Ball will focus on preparing Alcon for the intended spin.

In addition, he will start the process of recruiting a Board of Directors (BoD) for Alcon and meeting Novartis shareholders, and other potential investors, in preparation for a potential spinoff. If Alcon becomes an independent company, Mr. Ball would become Chairman of the Alcon BoD. In order to focus fully on the Alcon separation, Mr. Ball will step down from the Executive Committee of Novartis (ECN) on July 1, 2018.

David Endicott, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Alcon since July 2016, will be promoted to CEO of Alcon, also effective July 1, 2018. In light of the potential spinoff, Mr. Endicott will not become a member of the ECN. He will also report to Vas Narasimhan until the potential spinoff.

Over the coming weeks, Mr. Ball will hand over operational management responsibilities to Mr. Endicott. Mr. Endicott is a highly experienced leader in medical devices and pharmaceuticals having also previously held senior leadership positions with Allergan and Hospira. As Alcon COO he played an integral role in the turnaround of the business.