New CFO Receives Billion-Dollar Bonus as U.S. Medical Device Company Adjusts Executive Equity

Edwards Lifesciences Corp (NYSE: EW), a U.S. cardiovascular medical device company, has offered its incoming Chief Financial Officer Theodora Mistras a compensation package that includes an annual base salary of $925,000; incentives equal to 100% of her base pay; a cash sign-on bonus of approximately $2.01 million; newly granted restricted stock units valued at about $8.0 million; and an annual equity award of $4.5 million in 2026. The package also stipulates repayment of certain bonuses if she voluntarily departs or is terminated for cause within two years, and includes severance and accelerated vesting provisions upon termination or a change in control, relocation assistance from New York to Orange County, and coverage of legal fees.

Chief Executive Officer Bernard J. Jovizian secured approximately $3.7 million to $3.8 million in equity when his performance-based stock awards converted to common shares on May 11–12. After tax withholding and transferring the shares into a trust, he sold roughly $2.9 million worth of stock under a pre-established Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. He continues to hold approximately $8.7 million to $8.8 million in company stock, including direct ownership, trust shares, and his 401(k) account.

Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development Donald Bobo Jr. also sold about 20,000 shares on May 15, netting roughly $1.46 million. Despite the sale, his combined holdings across direct, 401(k), and trust accounts remain around $14.8 million.

In a May 4 press release, the company announced that Mistras will officially join as corporate vice president and CFO on May 29. Citing first-quarter 2026 results—which showed a 16% year-over-year revenue increase—Edwards Lifesciences raised its full-year revenue growth guidance to 9%–11%.

Edwards Lifesciences is a global medical device company specializing in catheter-based devices for heart valves and structural heart procedures, as well as critical care monitoring equipment. The company holds a leading position in the structural heart market—particularly in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)—across the U.S. and Europe.

Driven by demographic trends such as an aging population, rising cardiovascular disease prevalence, and growing adoption of minimally invasive procedures, demand for structural heart disease treatment devices is increasing. Edwards Lifesciences has consistently emphasized its medium- and long-term growth strategy at investor conferences and in its earnings releases.