Ensuring Our Future Success

How does it feel to be the new ZEISS CEO?
Dr. Lamprecht: It feels great! I’m looking forward to my new role! ZEISS employees have every reason to be proud of our company. And I’m just as proud to become the new CEO of ZEISS.

How will your life change? What does your family think about you being President and CEO?
Dr. Lamprecht: For me, the biggest change will definitely be about accepting greater responsibility for ZEISS as a whole. That means I’ll be speaking with even more of our employees and discussing a variety of issues with them. That’s something I enjoy very much.
As for my family, they won’t notice a huge difference because I’ll still be spending a lot of time with them, on the weekends and during our vacations. Many people who know me only found out what I’m actually doing at ZEISS through the news. And just as you would expect in a village in the Tyrol (Austria), life then simply goes on as it always has. That helps you stay grounded.

How have you been preparing for your new role in recent weeks?
Dr. Lamprecht: Through insights! I’ve mainly spent the last few weeks really getting to know the different ZEISS markets and our many customers, and have taken the time to get to know a large number of employees working in different areas. My Insights Tour enabled me to meet over 30 ZEISS teams at 11 ZEISS locations in the USA, China and Europe, as well as at 30 customer sites. I was thoroughly impressed. And, of course, there are many roles and responsibilities that come with being President and CEO, and I have also been preparing for these in close collaboration with Michael Kaschke.

Sounds good! Do you plan to do anything totally differently?
Dr. Lamprecht: ZEISS has an excellent structure – we have just finished up our tenth consecutive record year, and that alone is proof of how solid our structures are. It simply wouldn’t make sense to change everything around at this stage. But, there are definitely certain areas where there is room for improvement, so that we can ensure our success in the future. For instance, the way in which we consistently implement our plans, and how this helps us achieve our aims. This and other aspects will be included in the upcoming ZEISS Agenda 2025.

When can we expect the next ZEISS Agenda?
Dr. Lamprecht: First of all, don’t forget that the ZEISS Agenda 2020 won’t expire until the end of the year. We still have a few things to do and we can still bear plenty of fruit. Then we have to implement the measures designed to strengthen our resilience, and keep track of their development as well as any other tighter rules that may come. We are planning to launch communications for the ZEISS Agenda 2025 in fall 2020.

Can you summarize, in one sentence, what aim you’ve set yourself for your tenure as President and CEO?
Dr. Lamprecht: To work with my colleagues on the Executive Board and the entire Team ZEISS and take responsibility for ensuring an equally successful future.

Allow us to ask a more personal question. What do you like to do on the weekend?
Dr. Lamprecht: Oh, that’s an easy one. On weekends you can normally find me with my family in Tyrol. We almost always go hiking in the mountains in the summer, and skiing in the winter. But in the summer, you can usually find me outside kitesurfing. Spending my free time in the mountains or in the water are fantastic ways for me to leave the busy office behind for a while. This allows me to gain a little perspective and recharge my batteries. It helps me reflect on things and, often, to come up with new ideas as well. This work-life balance is important as it allows me to give my all in the work I do at ZEISS.

You pretty much grew up in the mountains. What were the defining moments in your youth?
Dr. Lamprecht: You know, I actually grew up at Innsbruck airport. My father was an airplane mechanic and he taught me all about his work and how he goes about it. That’s what initially inspired my affinity for technology, and it still drives me to this day. In my leisure time, I enjoy playing volleyball – I even played on the national team, so I’ve experienced all of the sport’s highs and lows. That’s how I discovered just how important it is to have a well-oiled team. You need to be highly dedicated, ambitious enough to want to win, have great team spirit and be very well structured – and certainly have excellent leadership and sound tactics. My involvement in sports is a great source of new knowledge and analogies for the management.

One final question: What has been your most memorable moment in the last 15 years at ZEISS?
Dr. Lamprecht: I had my personal ZEISS moment on my very first day – when I received my ZEISS ID badge. After many years working as a consultant and investor, I became a member of an industrial company, and a part of the ZEISS family.
But I still very much appreciate the little moments, every single day. These often take the form of discussions with our employees. Over the last few weeks I’ve gotten to know many employees who didn’t join ZEISS by chance, but who feel they are in the right place and are fully committed to their work – just like me, in fact.

Dr. Karl Lamprecht (55) 
is married and has one daughter. He received his PhD 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 at McKinsey & Company, Inc. and technology investor at 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 SBU and a Member of the Management Team for the SMT segment. 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.