Dentsply Sirona

www.dentsplysirona.com

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Dental Tribune International

Mon. 15. June 2026

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CHARLOTTE, N.C., US: Dentsply Sirona has announced the appointment of John Fortson as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective from 20 July. Fortson will take the reins of the company’s finances from CEO and President Daniel Scavilla, who was named interim principal financial officer in October last year following the departure of then CFO Matthew E. Garth. Fortson has over 25 years of leadership experience in finance and operations roles at public and privately held companies. He joins Dentsply Sirona amid the company’s efforts to return to growth.

Dentsply Sirona announced the appointment in a press release, explaining that Fortson has executed large-scale business and finance transformations, as well as capital allocation and portfolio optimisation strategies, acquisitions and integrations. This included implementing enterprise resource planning systems to strengthen financial discipline, drive growth and deliver sustainable shareholder returns.

Over the last 13 years, Fortson held CFO or CEO roles at global manufacturing and services businesses, including his current role as CFO at Kymera International. Prior to that, at Ingevity Corp., he served as CFO and treasurer before being promoted to CEO and president. Earlier in his career, Fortson served as CFO of AAR Corp. Before entering corporate leadership, he spent 15 years in investment banking at Merrill Lynch. He holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in the US and a BSc from the US Military Academy.

Scavilla commented: “Following an extensive search, John emerged as the clear choice to serve as our next CFO, given his rare combination of public company CFO experience, CEO perspective, capital markets expertise, and proven track record of driving growth and operational excellence at scale.” He continued: “We are confident that John’s collaborative leadership style, strategic mindset and focus on execution will make him an outstanding partner for our leadership team as we advance our return-to-growth action plan.”

Dentsply Sirona has struggled to post a profit over consecutive financial quarters, and its mission to return to growth has involved substantial commercial restructuring. In its latest earnings results, the company reported a net loss of US$10 million (€9 million^*), which was substantially less than the US$427 million and US$145 million net losses it posted in the third and fourth quarters of last year, respectively. Scavilla told analysts in the Dentsply Sirona earnings call on 5 May: “We are where we expect it to be at this early stage. We are executing the plan as intended and remain focused on improving speed and accountability.”

Commenting on his appointment, Fortson said: “I am honoured to join Dentsply Sirona at such an important time for the company. With leading market positions, innovative products and significant opportunities ahead, I believe Dentsply Sirona is poised for long-term growth. I look forward to partnering with Dan and the leadership team to strengthen performance, drive disciplined execution across the business, and deliver long-term growth and value creation for shareholders.”

Editorial note:

^* Calculated on the OANDA platform for 31 March 2026.