Danaher Corporation, a leading global life sciences and diagnostics innovator, has announced the appointment of Julie Sawyer Montgomery as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective October 1, 2026. She succeeds Rainer Blair, who will retire from the CEO role on that date and remain with the company as a senior advisor through March 31, 2027, to support a seamless transition.
About Julie Sawyer Montgomery
Julie Sawyer Montgomery steps into the CEO role after nine years at Danaher, the last several spent with growing oversight of the Diagnostics platform, and the board’s confidence in her reflects that track record directly. Board Chairman Steven Rales said Danaher is at a uniquely opportune moment, with untapped potential to accelerate growth across the enterprise, and that Sawyer Montgomery has the vision, experience, and proven track record to deliver on it. Mitchell Rales, Chairman of Danaher’s Executive Committee, added that under her leadership the Diagnostics platform consistently gained share in attractive end markets, and credited her with playing a pivotal role in the company’s recent acquisition of Masimo and its pending acquisition of StatLab.
Sawyer Montgomery joined Danaher in 2017 within Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, initially as Senior Vice President, Developed Markets, responsible for the unit’s $2 billion North America, Europe, and Latin America business, before taking on additional responsibility for Beckman Coulter’s R&D and global marketing organizations. She became President of Beckman Coulter Diagnostics in 2020, then advanced to Vice President and Group Executive, Diagnostics, overseeing Beckman Coulter, Cepheid, Radiometer, and Leica Biosystems. Since July 2024, she has served as Danaher’s Executive Vice President, Diagnostics, with responsibility for a platform that now also includes Mammotome, HemoCue, and Masimo. During her tenure leading the Diagnostics business, Danaher’s Diagnostics revenue grew from approximately $6 billion in 2017 to roughly $11 billion today, while operating profit roughly tripled.
Before joining Danaher, Sawyer Montgomery held roles of increasing responsibility at Hospira Infusion Systems (a Pfizer company), including President and Region President, U.S. Infusion Systems, where she led global product and pipeline strategy and business development. Earlier, she was Director of Marketing Strategy and Operations for Boston Scientific’s cardiovascular division and a Project Leader at The Boston Consulting Group, where she led strategy and implementation projects across the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master of Music in Viola Performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Columbia University.
Reflecting on the moment, Sawyer Montgomery said: “Stepping into this role is both humbling and deeply meaningful. Since joining Danaher in 2017, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside our incredible associates, and I’m proud of all that we have built and accomplished together. When we combine our people, our science, our customer focus, and the Danaher Business System, we are capable of extraordinary things. As we begin this next chapter, I look forward to working alongside our associates and customers. Together, we will continue delivering innovation at the speed of life.”
About Danaher
Danaher is a leading global life sciences and diagnostics innovator committed to accelerating the power of science and technology to improve human health. Through a connected ecosystem of industry-leading businesses spanning both its Life Sciences and Diagnostics platforms — the latter including Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, Cepheid, Radiometer, Leica Biosystems, Mammotome, HemoCue, and Masimo — the company works side by side with customers to solve complex scientific and clinical challenges, helping move innovations from discovery to delivery faster for the patients who depend on them. Powered by the Danaher Business System, the company’s approximately 60,000 associates worldwide focus on enabling faster, more accurate diagnoses and reducing the time, cost, and risk required to discover, develop, and deliver life-changing therapies. More information is available at www.danaher.com.
