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Anna MacDonald (AM): A picture of Anna MacDonald
Senior Science Editor
Technology Networks
Anna is a senior science editor at Technology Networks. She holds a first-class honors degree in biological sciences from the University of East Anglia. Before joining Technology Networks she helped organize scientific conferences. Could you elaborate on the strategic vision behind Agilent’s organizational changes and how they align with the company’s mission, long-term goals and its commitment to innovation and customer success?
Padraig McDonnell (PM): Black and white headshot of Padraig Mcdonnell.
CEO
Agilent Technologies
Padraig McDonnell became president and CEO in May 2024. Prior to his current role, Padraig served as president of the Agilent CrossLab Group (ACG) and also as Agilent’s chief commercial officer.
Ourevolvedstrategy isbothmarket- andcustomer-focused. Whenwe’re developing new products or considering new investments,we’ll do it through a customer and market perspective– markets such as pharma/biopharma, chemicals, applied materials and environmental.
Ournew organizational structure will help usexecute onour evolvedstrategy and enable us to deliver products and services that make our customers more productive.
The Applied Markets Groupwill focus on growing Agilent’s strong leadership in these markets and accelerating growth in new areas of the market.
Inthe Life Sciences and Diagnostics Markets Group (LDG),we have combined biomolecular products, cell analysis,liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and LC, mirroring how our customers are organized. These changes allow us to better meet their needs and drive innovation.
Additionally,AgilentCrossLabGroup–which includes our Consumables and ServicesDivision–now also includes software and informatics at a strategic level across the company. With these additions in AgilentCrossLabGroup, we can close gaps more quickly and make more informed decisions moving forward.
This is the right time to set a new direction for the company. We have evolved our strategy and set ambitious goals to execute on that strategy through the IgniteTransformation.
At our Analyst and Investor Day in December 2024, we announced that theIgnite Transformation outcomes would be: 5–7% annual core-revenue growth;operating-margin expansion of 50 to 100-plus basis points per year; and double-digit EPS growth. With our realigned businesses under the direction of proven leaders and focused on our markets, we are well-positioned to become nimbler andaccelerate innovationin service to ourcustomers.
AM:
A picture of Anna MacDonald
Senior Science Editor
Technology Networks
Anna is a senior science editor at Technology Networks. She holds a first-class honors degree in biological sciences from the University of East Anglia. Before joining Technology Networks she helped organize scientific conferences.
How will this reorganization enhance collaboration and execution across divisions?
PM: Black and white headshot of Padraig Mcdonnell.
CEO
Agilent Technologies
Padraig McDonnell became president and CEO in May 2024. Prior to his current role, Padraig served as president of the Agilent CrossLab Group (ACG) and also as Agilent’s chief commercial officer.
The reorganization within Agilent is designed to enhance collaboration and execution across our divisions by creating a more integrated and cohesive structure. By aligning ourthree businesses,we canleverage synergies and streamline operations tobetter meet our customers’ needs in a fewkey ways:
By integratingLPD (our LC and LC/MS products) into LDG,we're aligning more closely withthe needs of our biopharma customers. This boosts collaboration among cell analysis, API manufacturing and LPD, creating a strong ecosystem that enhances our biopharma capabilities. Bringing together genomics, pathology andcompanion diagnosticsbusinesses strengthens our diagnostics focus. This grouping allows for better coordination and execution of our strategy.
Including services, support,consumables and automation withinCrossLabpromotes cross-functional teamwork.
Integrating software and automation throughsynapse connections helpboththe Applied Markets Group and the Life Sciences and Diagnostics Markets Groupshare technologies andexpertise, leading to more efficient and innovative solutions.
Overall, the reorganization positions us to better collaborate across divisions,leverage our collective strengths and execute on our strategy with great precision and impact.We already havegreat team rapport among the three businesses and incredible momentum for evolving Agilent. That will be key in driving collaboration and achieving our ambitious goals.
AM:
A picture of Anna MacDonald
Senior Science Editor
Technology Networks
Anna is a senior science editor at Technology Networks. She holds a first-class honors degree in biological sciences from the University of East Anglia. Before joining Technology Networks she helped organize scientific conferences.
How does Agilent envision these changes improving the value and relevance of its solutions for customers?
PM: Black and white headshot of Padraig Mcdonnell.
CEO
Agilent Technologies
Padraig McDonnell became president and CEO in May 2024. Prior to his current role, Padraig served as president of the Agilent CrossLab Group (ACG) and also as Agilent’s chief commercial officer.
By evolving our Enterprise strategy to be market- and customer-centric, we can more deeply understand andanticipate our customers’ unique needs. This approach allows us to tailor our solutions more precisely to solve our customers’ most vexing problems.
The reorganization of our businesses fosters closer collaboration. This enables us toleverage diverseexpertise and technologies, accelerating the development of innovative solutions that address evolving customer challenges.
Improved agility through the reorganization allows us to respond quickly to market changes and customer feedback. This continuous improvement of our offerings positions us to forge stronger partnerships with our customers. By aligning our goals and strategies with theirs, we can work more closely together to achieve mutual success.
Overall, these changes are designed to make Agilent's solutions more valuable by being even more responsive to market needs, fostering innovation and providing comprehensive support. This customer-centric approach ensures that we continue to meet and exceed our customers' expectations.
AM:
A picture of Anna MacDonald
Senior Science Editor
Technology Networks
Anna is a senior science editor at Technology Networks. She holds a first-class honors degree in biological sciences from the University of East Anglia. Before joining Technology Networks she helped organize scientific conferences.
What specific initiatives will theCrossLab Group implement to enhance customer engagement and support?
PM: Black and white headshot of Padraig Mcdonnell.
CEO
Agilent Technologies
Padraig McDonnell became president and CEO in May 2024. Prior to his current role, Padraig served as president of the Agilent CrossLab Group (ACG) and also as Agilent’s chief commercial officer.
AgilentCrossLabGroup’sobjective is to strengthen customer connections across all end markets through several key initiatives designed to enhance customer engagement and support. By integrating services, consumables, software and informatics, and automation, this will make us more agile,accountable and customer-focused in the face of ever-changing market conditions.
The integration of automation hardware and software capabilities withinCrossLabsupports application and workflow orchestration. It enhances our ability to provide innovative solutions and improve customer engagement. This strategic use of technology streamlines processes and deliverstimely solutions.
Additionally, the reorganizationfacilitates stronger collaboration across internal divisions. The newCrossLabstructure aligns teams to deliver on key enterprise strategic priorities, ensuring harmonized solutions across our markets. This alignment willfacilitate closer collaboration and enable us to better deliver solutions and workflows that significantly enhance customer success,productivity and lifetime value across all markets.
AM:
A picture of Anna MacDonald
Senior Science Editor
Technology Networks
Anna is a senior science editor at Technology Networks. She holds a first-class honors degree in biological sciences from the University of East Anglia. Before joining Technology Networks she helped organize scientific conferences.
What challenges do youanticipate as you implement these changes, and how is Agilent addressing them to ensure a smooth transition for customers and stakeholders?
PM: Black and white headshot of Padraig Mcdonnell.
CEO
Agilent Technologies
Padraig McDonnell became president and CEO in May 2024. Prior to his current role, Padraig served as president of the Agilent CrossLab Group (ACG) and also as Agilent’s chief commercial officer.
We have implemented a transition team to guide us through the structural changes and ensure a smooth transition for our customers and stakeholders.
Our priorities are to ensureconsistent and continuous communications soour employeesaround the worldunderstand and, as a result, execute on our evolved strategy.
Continuous monitoring and feedback allow us to quickly make necessary adjustments so that we can continue to delight our customers. It is criticalnow more than everthat our customers experience uninterrupted service and support during the transition. We aremaintaining open lines of communication with our customers andalready are seeing early positive feedback from them aboutdoing business with Agilent.
Accelerating our innovation in service to our customers is our focus as webeginourIgnite Transformation to become nimbler and make decisions faster.We wantto deepen our relationships with our customers so they canleverage our scientificexpertise, and we can enable them to bring great science to life.