People In Brief
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Cooper cuts exec, seeks CEO: Robert Weiss, Cooper Companies' chief operating officer, gains responsibilities as president of CooperVision, replacing current president Gregory Fryling who leaves after 22 years at the firm. The changes are part of Cooper's continuing integration of Ocular Sciences, acquired in January 2005, as it combines its CooperVision and Cooper Companies headquarters (1"The Gray Sheet" June 12, 2006, p. 15). Weiss joined Cooper in 1977 and served as CFO from 1989 until he became COO in 2005. Prudential Equity Group analyst Larry Biegelsen has pegged Weiss as a potential successor to CEO Thomas Bender, who plans to relinquish the role, which he has held since 1995, by year-end. Cooper says it is considering both internal and external candidates...