Press Release

Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor to become CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec Group in December 2026

International medtech executive brings extensive experience in customer-focused innovation and business transformation
26 October 2026

Jena / Oberkochen, Germany | October 26, 2026 | Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor, currently CEO of the Vitrolife Group in Sweden, will take over as CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG on December 1, 2026. On the same date, she will join the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG with responsibility for the Medical Technology segment. Her appointment as successor to current CEO Andreas Pecher had been first announced in May 2026.

With the start date now confirmed, she will assume leadership of Carl Zeiss Meditec Group from Andreas Pecher, who has served as interim CEO since January 1, 2026.

"I am delighted to join Carl Zeiss Meditec and the ZEISS Group. The company combines deep scientific expertise, close customer relationships and a strong commitment to improving patient care. I look forward to working with our teams and customers to build on these strengths, advance innovation and successfully shape the next stage of the company’s transformation", said Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor.

"With Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor, Carl Zeiss Meditec is gaining an internationally experienced medtech executive who will bring a strong customer and innovation perspective to the company. We wish her a great start", said Peter Kameritsch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG.

"We would like to thank Andreas Pecher, both for his temporary dual role as CEO of the ZEISS Group and interim CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, and for providing important momentum during this period. With her excellent skills, Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor will now be able to further advance the strategy and transformation of the Medical Technology segment forward and contribute to the success of the ZEISS Group", said Dr. Michael Bolle, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG.

Effective December 1, 2026, the Management Board of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG will comprise Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor as CEO and Justus Wehmer as CFO.

The Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG will comprise Andreas Pecher (President and CEO), Stefan Müller (CFO), Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor (Head of the ZEISS Medical Technology segment), Sven Hermann (Head of the ZEISS Consumer Markets segment), Dr. Frank Rohmund (Head of the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology segment), and Dr. Marc Wawerla (Head of the ZEISS Industrial Quality & Research segment).

Short profiles

Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor studied at Dublin City University in Ireland. After earning a bachelor’s degree in International Marketing and Languages (Spanish and French), she completed her Master of Business Administration in 2002. She started her career at Johnson & Johnson in 1997, serving in roles of increasing seniority and ending her career there as General Manager of the Cardiovascular Care Group for the U.K. & Ireland in 2012. Bronwyn then joined Covidien, which was later acquired by Medtronic to form the largest medtech company globally. From 2013 until 2018, she first served as Vice President Early Technologies EMEA and later as President Women’s Health at Medtronic in Boston, USA. In 2019, Bronwyn joined Thermo Fisher Scientific as President for the EMEA region and one year later was promoted to Global President of the Immunodiagnostics Division in Uppsala, Sweden. She has worked internationally, including in Ireland, Spain, the U.K., Switzerland, Sweden and the U.S. Since 2023, Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor has been CEO of the Vitrolife Group, a global medtech company publicly listed on the NASDAQ Stockholm and headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Andreas Pecher studied physics at the University of Würzburg, Germany, and the University of Texas at Austin, USA. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Kellogg School of Management as well as a Master of Engineering Management at the McCormick School of Engineering. He began his career at Motorola (today NXP) in Texas, USA, in 1998. After completing his MBA in 2005, Andreas Pecher worked as a project manager at McKinsey & Company in Germany. Starting in 2010, he headed the Strategy and Business Development department at the solar company Renewable Energy Corporation in Oslo, Norway, and Munich, Germany. In 2013, Andreas Pecher joined the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment as Head of Strategic Business Development in Oberkochen, Germany. In 2015, he became Head of the Semiconductor Mask Solutions strategic business unit (SMS SBU) and, starting in 2017, headed the Semiconductor Manufacturing Optics strategic business unit. In 2022, Andreas Pecher became Head of the ZEISS SMT segment and was simultaneously appointed a Member of the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG. He was named President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG effective April 1, 2025. In this role, he also took on the interim position as CEO of the publicly listed Carl Zeiss Meditec AG on January 1, 2026, becoming Head of the Medical Technology segment.

Portrait of Sebastian Frericks
Press & Investor Relations Contact Sebastian Frericks

Head of Group Finance & Investor Relations
Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

Brief profile

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ISIN: DE0005313704), which is listed on the TecDAX and SDAX of the German stock exchange, is one of the world's leading medical technology companies. The Company supplies innovative technologies and application-oriented solutions designed to help doctors improve the quality of life of their patients. The Company offers complete solutions, including implants and consumables, to diagnose and treat eye diseases. The Company creates innovative visualization solutions in the field of microsurgery. With 5,784 employees worldwide, the Group generated revenue of €2,228m in fiscal year 2024/25 (to 30 September).

The Group’s head office is located in Jena, Germany, and it has subsidiaries in Germany and abroad; more than 50 percent of its employees are based in the USA, Japan, Spain and France. The Center for Application and Research (CARIn) in Bangalore, India and the Carl Zeiss Innovations Center for Research and Development in Shanghai, China, strengthen the Company's presence in these rapidly developing economies. Around 39 percent of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG’s shares are in free float. Approx. 59 percent are held by Carl Zeiss AG, one of the world’s leading groups in the optical and optoelectronic industries.

For more information visit our website at www.zeiss.com/med