DT News - India - Stanley M. Bergman retires: A transformational era in global dentistry comes to a close

Dr. Rajeev Chitguppi

Fri. 6 March 2026

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Stanley M. Bergman’s retirement as CEO of Henry Schein marks the end of one of the most influential leadership tenures in modern dentistry and healthcare distribution. Over more than three decades at the helm, he transformed the company into a global, purpose-driven enterprise serving dental and medical professionals in more than thirty countries.

The global dental profession marks the close of a remarkable leadership era as Stanley M. Bergman steps down as Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein after forty-five years with the company, including more than thirty-six years at its helm. Few leaders in modern healthcare have shaped their organisations – and indeed the broader professional landscape – with such consistency, vision and values-driven purpose.

When Bergman assumed leadership in 1989, Henry Schein was a growing distributor of dental supplies. Under his stewardship, it evolved into a Fortune 500 company and the world’s largest provider of healthcare products and services to office-based dental and medical practitioners. Today the organisation operates in thirty-three countries and territories, employs approximately 25,000 team members worldwide and reported revenues of USD 12.7 billion in 2024. Henry Schein is also a member of the S&P 500 index, reflecting decades of sustained growth and strategic expansion.

Yet Bergman’s legacy extends far beyond scale and financial performance. Perhaps his most enduring contribution lies in the culture he helped cultivate – a philosophy often expressed through the concept of “Team Schein”. In his farewell message marking his final day as Chief Executive Officer, Bergman reflected that what endures most is not merely what the company accomplished, but what it became: a purpose-driven organisation grounded in shared values that unite customers, supplier partners, shareholders, Team Schein Members and the communities the company serves.

This emphasis on values as a strategic foundation has defined the company’s identity. In 2024 Henry Schein was recognised by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the thirteenth consecutive year – an acknowledgement that ethical governance, responsible partnerships and community engagement are integral to long-term corporate success.

Bergman has also played a significant role in shaping global dialogue around oral health, healthcare leadership and professional education. He serves as Chair of the Dean’s Strategic Advisory Council at New York University College of Dentistry and as Chairman of the Board of the University of the Witwatersrand Fund. His contributions have also included serving as Governor and former Co-Chair of the Global Health & Healthcare Governors Community at the World Economic Forum and as Director Emeritus of the Board of Overseers at Penn Dental Medicine.

Across the profession his leadership has been widely recognised. Bergman is an honorary member of the American Dental Association and the Alpha Omega International Dental Society. His many honours include the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Corporate Responsibility Lifetime Achievement Award from CR Magazine, the Chief Executive Magazine CEO of the Year Award and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors’ Dirk Van Dongen Lifetime Achievement Award. Numerous universities have conferred honorary doctorates upon him, including The University of the Witwatersrand, Western University of Health Sciences, Hofstra University, A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Case Western Reserve University, Farmingdale State College (SUNY) and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has also received an Honorary Fellowship from King’s College London – Dental Institute and the International College of Dentists.

Beyond the corporate and professional spheres, Bergman and his wife Dr Marion Bergman have been active supporters of philanthropic initiatives in the arts, higher education, cultural diversity and grassroots healthcare. Their efforts have contributed to initiatives promoting sustainable entrepreneurial development and improved access to healthcare across the United States, Africa and other developing regions.

Leadership transitions of this scale inevitably prompt reflection on the future as well as the past. Bergman has expressed strong confidence in his successor, Fred Lowery, who assumes the role of Chief Executive Officer with extensive leadership experience and a deeply people-centred approach. With the organisation’s mission and culture firmly embedded, the transition signals continuity rather than change in direction.

Reflecting on more than four decades of leadership, Bergman summarised a principle that has guided his career: values are the ultimate competitive advantage. Organisations that care not only about results but also about people create the momentum necessary for sustained success.

For the global dental community, Bergman’s career offers a powerful illustration of how ethical leadership, strategic growth and social responsibility can reinforce one another. As he steps away from the chief executive role, the institution he helped build remains not only a market leader but also a model of purpose-driven enterprise within healthcare.

With a strong foundation and a clear mission to help make the world healthier, Henry Schein enters its next chapter. Yet the era defined by Stanley M. Bergman’s leadership will remain one of the most significant in the modern history of the dental profession.