Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) announced today that Padraig McDonnell, the current president of the Agilent CrossLab Group (ACG) and chief commercial officer, will succeed Mike McMullen as the company’s president and CEO on May 1.

McMullen, who has been Agilent’s CEO since 2015 and has led the company’s transformation into a market leader in life sciences and diagnostics, will retire on Oct. 31 after nearly 40 years with Agilent and its predecessor Hewlett-Packard Co. He will remain as a member of the Agilent Board of Directors and an adviser to McDonnell until his retirement.

Koh Boon Hwee, chairman of Agilent’s Board of Directors, praised McDonnell as the best choice for Agilent’s next CEO, citing his successful track record in various roles at Agilent, his exceptional growth of the Services business, and his leadership in improving the customer experience at Agilent.

McDonnell, 52, expressed his gratitude to McMullen for his mentorship and his excitement to lead Agilent into the future, with a focus on innovation, growth, and customer satisfaction.

With McDonnell’s appointment as CEO-elect and COO, Angelica Riemann and Jonah Kirkwood will take over as ACG president and chief commercial officer, respectively, reporting to McDonnell.