Melbourne-based CSL, under pressure over weak earnings and its share price, has appointed Deborah Waterhouse as its first female chief executive. Ms Waterhouse joins in February from ViiV Healthcare, which she led for 10 years. Outgoing chair Brian McNamee told a shareholders meeting that not every decision the company made was bad. CSL reported a statutory net loss of $US2.6 billion for 2025/26, driven by writedowns in its Vifor business. Its share price has fallen about 70 per cent since July 2024.