Irvine-based heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences Corp. said today that Nicholas Valeriani is a new member of its board of directors.
Edwards said its eight-member board had been seeking “qualified candidates for board service” as part of normal succession planning.
David Pyott, chief executive of Irvine-based Allergan Inc., recently resigned his seat on the Edwards board to accommodate the demands of his position at the drug maker.
Valeriani serves as chief executive of the Gary and Mary West Health Institute, a La Jolla-based nonprofit medical research organization.
He previously spent 34 years at New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson and served on its executive committee. His other directorships include Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, also in New Brunswick.
Edwards’ shares were down 0.4% near the the end of the day’s trading, with a market value of $13.3 billion.
