Executive Officers - Robert L. Parkinson, Jr.
Robert L. Parkinson, Jr. is chairman and chief executive officer of Baxter International Inc.
Prior to joining Baxter in April 2004, Parkinson was dean of Loyola University Chicago’s School of Business Administration and Graduate School of Business. Previously, he had a distinguished 25-year career at Abbott Laboratories, serving in a variety of domestic and international management and leadership positions.
Parkinson joined Abbott in 1976 and held a number of marketing and management positions there before being named vice president of European operations in 1990, president of the chemical and agricultural division in 1993 and president of the international division responsible for pharmaceutical, hospital and nutritional products in 1995. In 1998 he became a member of its board of directors before being named president and chief operating officer of the company in 1999. He retired from Abbott in 2001.
He began his career in 1976 with American Hospital Supply Corporation.
He is active on a variety of industry boards and community organizations. Parkinson serves on the board of directors for Chicago-based Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and serves as chairman of the board of Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital. He also serves on Loyola University Chicago's Board of Trustees and is currently chairman of the board of Junior Achievement of Chicago. Parkinson serves on the board of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and is past chairman of the Executives' Club of Chicago.
Parkinson earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University Chicago.
Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide.
