Henry Schein announces two key executive moves

Henry Schein Inc., Long Island’s largest public company by revenue, has hired a Boston Scientific Corp. executive to oversee its animal health, medical and dental surgical groups and promoted a current executive to the newly created position of chief commercial officer, the company announced Wednesday.

Karen Prange, 52, who served as senior vice president and president, urology and pelvic health, at Boston Scientific, will begin working out of Henry Schein’s Melville headquarters on May 17, the company said. She will join Henry Schein with the titles of executive vice president and chief executive officer, global animal health and medical group. Before joining Boston Scientific in 2012, the University of Florida graduate spent 17 years at Johnson & Johnson.

Henry Schein, which posted revenue of $10.6 billion in 2015, distributes medical, animal health and dental products to office-based practitioners in 33 countries. The company has almost 19,000 employees worldwide, including about 1,600 in Melville and other offices on Long Island.

Dave McKinley, 63, now president of the medical group, will oversee global corporate marketing, including branding, e-commerce and business intelligence, with the newly created position of chief commercial officer.

Both executives will report to Stanley Bergman, 66, chairman and chief executive, who received a three-year contract extension announced earlier this month that runs from Dec. 31.

“We have created these new positions at a time when market, technological and demographic forces are converging to create unique business opportunities for Henry Schein,” Bergman said in a statement.

Citing Bergman’s contract extension, Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. analyst Jeffrey Johnson said that the executive shuffle appears to have no immediate bearing on the tenure of the chief executive.

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“I don’t think it’s a near-term succession plan,” he said.

Shares of Henry Schein rose 12 cents Wednesday to close at $171.82 on the New York Stock Exchange.

By Ken Schachter

kenneth.schachter@newsday.comkschach

Ken Schachter covers corporate news, including technology and aerospace, and other business topics for Newsday. He has also worked at The Miami Herald and The Jerusalem Post.