Staar Surgical announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Warren Foust, President and Chief Operating Officer; and Deborah Andrews, Chief Financial Officer, as interim co-CEOs, effective February 1, 2026.

The appointments come about 3 weeks after Staar shareholders voted to keep the company independent from Alcon. In August 2025, Alcon announced plans to buy Staar in a $1.5 billion deal.

Mr. Foust and Ms. Andrews will work jointly with the company’s executive leadership team, with oversight and guidance from the Board, to lead Staar and manage its day-to-day operations during this transition period. 

“Warren and Deborah are respected and qualified leaders with deep knowledge of Staar and our industry,” said Neal C. Bradsher, Chairman of the Board. “The entire Board is confident in their ability to ensure business continuity and lead our company during this period of transition. The Board is committed to working diligently to identify and appoint a new CEO.”

As previously disclosed, the Board has established a Search Committee to lead the CEO succession process.

Mr. Foust joined Staar in April 2023 as Chief Operating Officer and was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer in March 2025. Prior to Staar, Mr. Foust held senior leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson, including Worldwide President of Surgical Vision and Worldwide President of Mentor. His earlier career includes leadership roles at Roche, Aventis, and DePuy Synthes.

Ms. Andrews rejoined Staar in March 2025 as Interim Chief Financial Officer and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in June 2025. In this role, she oversees the Company’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 on regenerative medicine, where she currently serves as Audit Committee Chair and previously served as Compensation Committee Chair.