Mike Rousseau, president of cardiovascular and neuromodulation, Abbott
When a major merger happens, the CEO who doesn’t keep the top job in the new company could end up deciding that he or she wants to leave to run a company elsewhere. One intriguing possibility in this category is Mike Rousseau, who was CEO of St. Jude Medical for about a year before Abbott closed on its acquisition of the company.
Morningstar analyst Debbie Wang characterizes Rousseau as a dark horse possibility. “He comes with a cardiac background, but now that the ABT-STJ deal has closed, he may be at loose ends and looking for a challenge,” Wang said.