Tom Polen is the chairman, CEO and president of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company). Polen leads the $19 billion global medical technology company headquartered in Franklin Lakes, NJ, and works alongside more than 70,000 BD associates who are making an impact and fulfilling the company’s purpose of advancing the world of health™.
Polen is a dedicated and passionate leader in healthcare, focused on advancing BD’s role in redefining the future of healthcare through innovative technologies and solutions that are changing people’s lives. Under his leadership and long-term strategy for growth, he has focused the organization’s BD 2025 strategy around three pillars—Grow, Simplify, and Empower—which drive and accelerate the innovation of advanced, cutting-edge medical technologies.
Polen brings more than 25 years of experience in medical technology. He started at BD in 1999 through the acquisition of an early phase start-up. In 2004, he joined Baxter Healthcare, where he led the injectable pharmaceuticals business. Since returning to BD in 2009, Polen has served in a variety of leadership roles, including as president of several worldwide business units within BD’s Life Sciences segment and later as president of the BD Medical segment, during which he led the $12 billion acquisition of CareFusion, spearheading the company’s expansion into informatics and digital health solutions. In 2017, he led the strategy for the $24 billion acquisition of C. R. Bard, Inc. and shortly thereafter was named president and chief operating officer of BD. Polen became CEO in January 2020 and chairman of the board of directors in April 2021.
Polen serves on the board of directors for Walgreens Boots Alliance; AdvaMed, where he chairs the Committee on Payment & Health Care Delivery Policy; and Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation. He is a member of the American Heart Association CEO Roundtable and actively supports the Children’s Tumor Foundation, as well as several associations committed to helping patients with breast cancer. Polen also serves on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness and its Manufacturing Competitiveness Subcommittee.
Polen holds a bachelor’s degree from Salisbury University and a master’s in business administration from Johns Hopkins University.