October 4, 2023- Baxter International Inc. announced it has appointed Joel Grade as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), reporting to Baxter chairman, president and CEO, José (Joe) E. Almeida, effective Oct. 18, 2023. At that time, Brian Stevens, who has served as the company’s interim CFO since May 31, 2023, will transition to his prior role as senior vice president, chief accounting officer and controller.
Mr. Grade, 53, joins Baxter following a distinguished 25-year career with Sysco, the world’s global foodservice leader with fiscal-year 2023 sales of more than $76 billion. Mr. Grade brings deep experience from various financial, commercial and executive leadership roles. He most recently served as Sysco’s executive vice president, corporate development, and previously held the roles of executive vice president and CFO as well as senior vice president of finance and chief accounting officer, and senior vice president of foodservice operations.
He started his career as a senior auditor at Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Grade earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance with a specialization in international business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA in finance, strategy and marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.