Press Release

ZEISS opts for continuity with new CEO

24 September 2019

  • Dr. Karl Lamprecht, currently the Executive Board Member responsible for the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology segment, will become the new President & CEO of Carl Zeiss AG effective 1 April 2020. He will succeed Prof. Dr. Michael Kaschke, who will not renew his contract beyond his current tenure, as planned.

  • Dr. Markus Weber has been appointed the new Member of the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG responsible for the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology segment effective 1 October 2019.
Oberkochen, Germany | 24 September 2019 | Corporate News

At its meeting on 24 September 2019, the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG unanimously voted in favor of the following changes to the Executive Board: Dr. Karl Lamprecht, currently a Member of the Executive Board, will become the new President & CEO effective 1 April 2020. With this appointment, the top position at the company has once again been filled from within the organization. Dr. Karl Lamprecht will succeed Prof. Dr. Michael Kaschke, the long-serving President & CEO of Carl Zeiss AG. As planned, after holding this office for 10 years, Prof. Dr. Kaschke will not seek another reappointment when the term of his contract expires in 2020.

Dr. Markus Weber has been appointed the new Member of the Executive Board and Head of the Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment effective 1 October 2019. He currently heads the Research Microscopy Solutions strategic business unit at ZEISS.

The Supervisory Board expressly thanked Michael Kaschke for his extremely successful contribution over many years on behalf of the ZEISS Group. In the wake of another record-breaking year, the change to the Executive Board leadership comes at the right moment. "Under the leadership of Michael Kaschke, the Executive Board team of the ZEISS Group has developed and implemented forward-looking strategies. These have led to above-average growth and sustainable value creation at ZEISS for an entire decade," says Prof. Dr. Dieter Kurz, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG. "The company has a future-oriented business portfolio and is in an excellent position. This technology leader with a global reputation has been transformed into an active market shaper for its customers' success. For this, we would like to extend our special thanks to Michael Kaschke. He has left his unique mark on ZEISS during his time as President & CEO and his 20 years serving on the Executive Board," says Dieter Kurz.

By making these personnel decisions, the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG is opting for continuity on the Executive Board team. With the appointment of Karl Lamprecht, it was once again possible to fill the position of President & CEO from among the company's own ranks. Karl Lamprecht is a Member of the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG and has headed the ZEISS SMT segment since 2017. He joined ZEISS in 2005 as Head of Strategic Business Development for semiconductor technology. There, he successfully took on different management functions. Karl Lamprecht has a wide range of management experience, including in the development of growth and innovation strategies and the realization of technology acquisitions.

"Karl Lamprecht has played an important role in the segment's successful development – especially as concerns the future technology EUV and advancing the organization and company culture," says Dieter Kurz.

Markus Weber, who has been appointed Head of the SMT segment and a Member of the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG, has acquired extensive experience within the ZEISS Group since joining the company in 2002. He possesses an excellent understanding of technology and many years of management experience, which he has demonstrated in challenging turnaround situations. He is currently Head of the Research Microscopy Solutions strategic business unit. He previously worked at the SMT and Medical Technology segments and was Head of Corporate Research & Technology.

"Markus Weber also has an impressive background in innovation. In addition to his comprehensive expertise, he brings with him a management philosophy firmly rooted in values and culture, which is the result of his many years of experience holding leadership positions at ZEISS," says Dieter Kurz. "In his current function, the team led by Markus Weber has successfully brought the ZEISS microscopy business back on track for success."

"This is an excellent time to pass the torch, and I am delighted by the respect and trust the Supervisory Board has placed in the Executive Board team. With this team, we have achieved dynamic growth for years that is also sustainable. Building on this foundation, we can now hit the ground running as we move ahead into the next decade of business success. This is important for our customers and our employees at the company's locations around the globe," says Michael Kaschke.

Short profiles

Prof. Dr. Michael Kaschke

Prof. Dr. Michael Kaschke

Prof. Dr. Michael Kaschke has been a Member of the Executive Board since 2000 and President & CEO of Carl Zeiss AG since 2011. After studying physics and earning his doctorate at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and then holding various research positions, including at the Max Born Institute and the IBM Research Center in the US, Kaschke joined ZEISS in the Research area in 1992. After becoming Head of Development in different functions, he led the Surveying Instruments division starting in 1995, followed by the Surgical Instruments division and, in 1998, he became Head of the Medical Technology business group.

In addition to his office as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, a company listed on the MDAX stock index, Kaschke also is a Member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom AG, Henkel AG & Co. and Robert Bosch GmbH. In 2014, he was appointed to the German Council of Science and Humanities, one of the most important scientific-political advisory bodies in Germany.

Dr. Karl Lamprecht

Dr. Karl Lamprecht

Dr. Karl Lamprecht received his doctorate in physics from the Institute for Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago (USA). He then worked as a consultant and technology investor at McKinsey & Company, Inc. and AdAstra Venture Consult GmbH from 1995 to 2005. He joined ZEISS in 2005, initially serving as Head of Strategic Business Development at SMT before becoming Head of the former Laser Optics strategic business unit and a Member of the Management Team for the SMT segment in 2015. In 2017, he assumed overall responsibility for Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology and, in 2018, was appointed in this function to the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG.

Dr. Markus Weber

Dr. Markus Weber

Dr. Markus Weber studied physics at the University of Karlsruhe and the University of Ulm, receiving his Ph. D. He joined ZEISS in 2002 as a research scientist in the Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology business group. After holding management positions in differentdepartments, he became became Head of Advanced Development in the Microsurgery division of the Medical Technology business group in 2009. In 2010, Weber became Head of Corporate Research and Technology for the ZEISS Group. In 2015, he became Head of the Research Microscopy Solutions strategic business unit and, in 2018, also became a member of the segment management team for Industrial Quality & Research.

Press contact Jörg Nitschke

Head of Corporate Brand, Communications and Public Affairs
ZEISS Group

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the optics and optoelectronics industries. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling more than 5.8 billion euros in its four segments Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (status: 30 September 2018).

For its customers, ZEISS develops, produces and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, and medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world's leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare and Smart Production and a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future far beyond the optics and optoelectronics industries. The company's significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS' technology and market leadership.

Today the ZEISS Group is represented in almost 50 countries. About 30,000 employees worldwide work at around 60 sales and service locations, more than 30 production sites and about 25 research and development facilities. Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company, Carl Zeiss AG

Further information at www.zeiss.com

Press photos

  • Dr. Karl Lamprecht

    File size: 1 MB
  • Dr. Markus Weber

    Member of the Executive Board of the ZEISS Group

    File size: 1 MB
  • Prof. Dr. sc. nat. Michael Kaschke

    President and CEO of the ZEISS Group

    File size: 1 MB

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