CooperCompanies Announces New Chair of the Board and Strategic Review

CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: COO) announced that its Board appointed Colleen Jay as Chair, effective January 2, 2026, succeeding Robert Weiss, who will remain on the Board and stand for reelection for one final term.

Rhea-AI Summary

CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: COO) announced that its Board appointed Colleen Jay as Chair, effective January 2, 2026, succeeding Robert Weiss, who will remain on the Board and stand for reelection for one final term.

The Board launched a formal strategic review of the company’s businesses, corporate structure, strategy, operations and capital allocation to identify opportunities to simplify the business and unlock long-term shareholder value, including partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures, mergers and other transactions. The company said it expects to focus capital deployment on repurchasing shares under its recently announced $2 billion share repurchase program.

Positive

• Colleen Jay named Chair effective January 2, 2026
• Formal strategic review launched to identify value-creation opportunities
• Capital deployment focus on a $2 billion share repurchase program

Negative

• Strategic review explicitly contemplates divestitures, mergers, or business combinations, creating potential near-term uncertainty for investors
• Board transition may prompt governance and leadership transition questions during the review period

Argus Dec 5 session

+5.67% close to close Open Argus

Details

News Market Reaction – COO

On Dec 5, the first trading day after this news, COO closed 5.67% above the previous close.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Dec 5 session.

Key Figures

Chair transition date: January 2, 2026 Board tenure start: 2016 Retirement year: 2017 +2 more

Chair transition date

January 2, 2026

Effective date for Colleen Jay to succeed Robert Weiss as Chair

Board tenure start

2016

Year Colleen Jay joined the CooperCompanies Board

Retirement year

2017

Year Colleen Jay retired from Procter & Gamble

P&G service length

32 years

Length of Colleen Jay’s career at Procter & Gamble

Share repurchase program

$2 billion

Recently announced share repurchase program referenced as capital deployment focus

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Nov 04

5 events

1. Nov 04

   Earnings timing

   24h Move

   -0.3%

   Announced date and time for Q4 and full-year 2025 results release.

2. Oct 01

   Awareness campaign

   24h Move

   -0.7%

   Participation in children’s vision awareness campaign on myopia and eye exams.

3. Sep 17

   Buyback expansion

   24h Move

   +4.5%

   Board expanded share repurchase authorization to a total of $2 billion.

4. Aug 27

   Q3 2025 earnings

   24h Move

   -12.8%

   Q3 revenue growth with mixed EPS and raised guidance but negative share reaction.

5. Aug 14

   Conference participation

   24h Move

   -0.3%

   Announcement of CEO participation at Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

strategic review, operational efficiency, capital deployment, corporate structure, +4 more

8 terms

strategic review financial

"The Company also announced a formal strategic review aimed at identifying opportunities"

A strategic review is a thorough examination of a company's goals, operations, and plans to determine the best way to move forward. It helps identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, guiding decisions on future actions. For investors, it provides insight into how a company plans to improve performance or adapt to changes, which can influence its long-term prospects.

operational efficiency technical

"expanding market share, enhancing operational efficiency, and generating strong returns"

Operational efficiency is the ability of a business to use its resources—such as time, labor, and materials—in the best possible way to produce goods or services. When a company operates efficiently, it can deliver more value with less waste or unnecessary cost. This matters to investors because higher efficiency often leads to better profitability and a stronger position in the market.

capital deployment financial

"returns through disciplined capital deployment initiatives."

Capital deployment is the process of allocating financial resources—such as money or assets—toward different projects or investments with the goal of generating returns or growth. It matters to investors because smart deployment can increase the value of their investments, while poor choices can lead to losses. Think of it like planting seeds in the right spots to ensure a healthy, fruitful harvest.

corporate structure financial

"review of the Company’s businesses, corporate structure, strategy, operations"

Corporate structure is the way a company is organized, including how its different parts—such as divisions, subsidiaries, and leadership—are arranged and connected. It determines who makes decisions and how resources and responsibilities are distributed, similar to an organizational chart or a family tree. For investors, understanding a company's structure helps assess its stability, management, and potential for growth.

capital allocation priorities financial

"operations and capital allocation priorities to identify any additional opportunities"

Capital allocation priorities are the order in which a company decides to use its financial resources, such as investing in new projects, paying dividends, reducing debt, or saving for future needs. They matter to investors because they influence a company's growth potential and financial stability, helping them understand how the business plans to grow and return value over time. Proper priorities can indicate a well-managed company focused on sustainable success.

joint ventures financial

"including through partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures, mergers, business combinations"

A joint venture is a business arrangement where two or more companies come together to work on a specific project or goal, sharing both the risks and the rewards. It’s like partners teaming up for a common goal, which can help them access new markets, share expertise, or reduce costs. For investors, joint ventures can create new opportunities but also involve shared responsibilities and potential risks.

divestitures financial

"including through partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures, mergers, business combinations"

Divestitures are the process of a company selling or getting rid of a part of its business, like selling a division or a product line. This often helps the company focus on its core activities or improve its financial health. For investors, divestitures can signal strategic changes or influence the company's value and future growth prospects.

business combinations financial

"including through partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures, mergers, business combinations"

Business combinations occur when two or more companies join together to operate as a single entity, often through merging or acquiring one another. This process can be compared to two businesses coming together to form a larger company, similar to two teams combining to create a stronger, more competitive group. For investors, understanding business combinations is important because they can significantly affect a company's value, market share, and future growth prospects.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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SAN RAMON, Calif., Dec. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: COO), a leading medical device company, announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Colleen Jay to succeed current Chair Robert Weiss, effective January 2, 2026. Mr. Weiss will remain on the Board and stand for reelection for the upcoming year, marking his final term. The Company also announced a formal strategic review aimed at identifying opportunities to enhance long-term shareholder value.

“Bob’s vision, industry knowledge, and leadership have been key to our success. I’m deeply grateful for his commitment and look forward to continuing our work together,” said Al White, President and CEO. “I’m also thrilled the Board appointed Colleen as Chair. Her track record of driving growth through global operational leadership, transformational innovation, strategy and execution make her a fantastic choice for this role.”

Ms. Jay has served on the Company’s Board since 2016. She retired from Procter & Gamble in 2017 as Global Division President after 32 years of increasing responsibility across the multinational consumer goods company. In her last operational role, she was President of the Global Beauty Specialty Business where she was responsible for several major brands and the successful divestiture of them. Prior to that, she led the multibillion-dollar Global Retail Hair Care and Color division of P&G from 2012 to 2015 and the Global Female Beauty division from 2010 to 2012.

Robert Weiss has been a cornerstone of CooperCompanies success for nearly five decades, serving as CEO from 2007 until his retirement in 2018. He also served as President of CooperVision, COO, and CFO over his distinguished career.

Strategic Review
CooperCompanies values constructive input from its shareholders and remains committed to profitable, sustainable growth to drive long-term shareholder value. The Company is actively focused on improving performance in core markets, expanding market share, enhancing operational efficiency, and generating strong returns through disciplined capital deployment initiatives. As part of these efforts, its Board and Management, with the assistance of its advisors, are undergoing a formal and comprehensive strategic review of the Company’s businesses, corporate structure, strategy, operations and capital allocation priorities to identify any additional opportunities to simplify the Company’s business and unlock long-term value, including through partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures, mergers, business combinations and other transactions. During this period, the Company expects to focus capital deployment on repurchasing shares under the recently announced $2 billion share repurchase program.

About CooperCompanies
CooperCompanies (Nasdaq: COO) is a leading global medical device company focused on helping people experience life’s beautiful moments through its two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision is a trusted leader in the contact lens industry, helping to improve the way people see each day. CooperSurgical is a leading fertility and women’s healthcare company dedicated to putting time on the side of women, babies, and families at the healthcare moments that matter most. Headquartered in San Ramon, CA, CooperCompanies has a workforce of more than 15,000, sells products in over 130 countries, and positively impacts over fifty million lives each year. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements relating to the Company’s formal strategic review, potential transactions, capital allocation priorities, share repurchase program, efforts to enhance long-term shareholder value, plans, strategies, future actions, and other statements of which are other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking. Forward-looking statements necessarily depend on assumptions, data, or methods that may be incorrect or imprecise and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Statements regarding future events and performance and contain words such as “expects” and similar words or phrases. The Company gives no assurances regarding any specific outcome or transaction resulting from a strategic review. Further, the Company has not established a timeline for completion of the review, and it does not intend to provide additional updates until it determines further disclosure is appropriate and necessary. A wide range of factors could materially affect future developments, including, but not limited to, uncertainties related to market conditions and other factors set forth in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks and uncertainties may cause actual future results or actions to be materially different than those expressed in such forward-looking statements. We do not intend, or undertake any duty, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact:
Kim Duncan
Vice President, Investor Relations and Risk Management
925-460-3663
ir@cooperco.com

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

Who is the new Chair of the Board at CooperCompanies (COO) and when is the change effective?

Colleen Jay will succeed Robert Weiss as Chair, effective January 2, 2026.

What is CooperCompanies (COO) reviewing in its formal strategic review announced December 4, 2025?

The review covers the company’s businesses, corporate structure, strategy, operations and capital allocation to identify ways to simplify the business and unlock long-term value.

Will CooperCompanies (COO) consider M&A or divestitures during the strategic review?

Yes. The Board said the review may include partnerships, joint ventures, divestitures, mergers, business combinations and other transactions.

How will CooperCompanies (COO) deploy capital during the strategic review period?

The company expects to focus capital deployment on repurchasing shares under its recently announced $2 billion share repurchase program.

Will Robert Weiss remain involved with CooperCompanies (COO) after the Chair transition?

Yes. Robert Weiss will remain on the Board and will stand for reelection for the upcoming year, marking his final term.

Does the strategic review signal immediate changes to CooperCompanies (COO) operations or structure?

The company described a formal and comprehensive review to identify opportunities; it did not announce any completed transactions or final decisions.