Change of CEO at ZEISS in 2025
ZEISS opts for continuity on Executive Board: Andreas Pecher, currently an Executive Board member and responsible for the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology segment, will become the new President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG effective 1 April 2025. He will succeed Dr. Karl Lamprecht, who has decided not to extend his contract.
Dr. Frank Rohmund has been appointed the new Executive Board member of Carl Zeiss AG responsible for the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology segment effective 1 January 2025.
Oberkochen, Germany | 30 September 2024 | ZEISS Group
After almost 20 years at ZEISS, the President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG, Dr. Karl Lamprecht, has decided not to extend his contract. Therefore, the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG has decided to appoint Andreas Pecher as the new President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG effective 1 April 2025. Andreas Pecher joined ZEISS in 2013, and he has been a member of the Executive Board, responsible for the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment, since 2022.
“With the appointment of Andreas Pecher, it has once again proved possible to fill the position of President and CEO from among our ranks. We are looking forward to continuing the successful development of the Group together with him. In addition to his extensive experience gained during his many years of exceptionally successful work for ZEISS, Andreas Pecher has an excellent understanding of technology as well as a wide range of management expertise from various leadership positions. In particular, this includes the development and implementation of successful innovation and growth strategies. The Supervisory Board would like to wish Andreas Pecher every success in his new role,” said Dr. Michael Bolle, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG. Andreas Pecher joined ZEISS in 2013 as Head of Strategic Business Development for SMT. There, he successfully took on various management tasks, including as Head of the Semiconductor Mask Solutions and the Semiconductor Manufacturing Optics strategic business units.
Dr. Karl Lamprecht informed the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG early on about his intention not to extend his contract, which will expire in spring 2025. “We deeply regret Karl Lamprecht’s decision, but at the same time we respect his choice to concentrate more on his private life in the future. His start as CEO coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which ZEISS was able to manage quite well under his leadership. With a clear strategic focus and the continuous development of the corporate culture, Karl Lamprecht has generated crucial momentum for ZEISS. This is reflected in the impressive revenue development and headcount growth over the past years,” said Dr. Michael Bolle. “We would like to wish Karl Lamprecht all the best and thank him for the excellent work he has done over the past almost 20 years. He is handing over a company that is very well positioned and financially stable with exceptionally strong opportunities for development.” During Dr. Karl Lamprecht’s tenure as President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG, the ZEISS Group’s revenue increased from 6.3 billion euros to over 10 billion euros; EBIT rose from 922 million euros to around 1.7 billion euros (fiscal year 2022/23); and the number of employees went from around 32,000 to over 44,000 (as of 31 March 2024).
“Prior to the upcoming contract extension, I realized that now is the right time to focus more on my personal interests. Thanks to important strategic decisions, ZEISS can successfully continue its dynamic growth trajectory with double-digit revenue in the billions and healthy profitability,” said Dr. Karl Lamprecht. “I would like to thank the Supervisory Board and all employees. It has always felt like a privilege to work for ZEISS.”
When making other personnel decisions, the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG has opted for continuity not only in the role of President and CEO, but also in the new appointment of Executive Board members and contract extensions. Thus, Dr. Frank Rohmund was appointed a member of the Executive Board and Head of the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment effective 1 January 2025. At ZEISS, he currently heads the Semiconductor Manufacturing Optics (SMO) strategic business unit. “Frank Rohmund also has an excellent grasp of the industry and strong innovation expertise,” said Michael Bolle. “With his deep knowledge of the semiconductor industry and his experience within the SMT leadership board, he is the right choice to successfully lead SMT in the long term.”
In addition, the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG extended the contracts of Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf and Sven Hermann by five years until 2030. Both were appointed members of the Executive Board in 2022 – Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf as Chief Transformation Officer of the ZEISS Group, and Sven Hermann for the ZEISS Consumer Markets segment.
Starting 1 April 2025, the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG will consist of Andreas Pecher (President & CEO), Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf (Chief Transformation Officer), Stefan Müller (Chief Financial Officer), Sven Hermann (Head of the ZEISS Consumer Markets segment), Dr. Jochen Peter (Head of the ZEISS Industrial Quality & Research segment), Dr. Frank Rohmund (Head of the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology segment), and Dr. Markus Weber (Head of the ZEISS Medical Technology segment).
Andreas Pecher will become the new President and CEO of Carl Zeiss AG effective 1 April 2025.
He will succeed Dr. Karl Lamprecht, who has decided not to extend his contract.
Short profiles
Dr. Karl Lamprecht qualified as an engineer at HTL Innsbruck, studied and completed a Ph.D. in physics at the Institute for Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck, and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at 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 until 2005. He joined ZEISS in 2005. Here, he initially headed Strategic Business Development for the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment, before he became Head of the Laser Optics strategic business unit and Managing Director of Carl Zeiss Laser Optics GmbH in 2008. In 2015, he became, as Head of the Semiconductor Manufacturing Optics strategic business unit, a member of the SMT segment’s management team. In 2017, he assumed responsibility for the entire SMT segment and, in this function, was appointed a member of the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG in 2018. Dr. Karl Lamprecht has been President & CEO of Carl Zeiss AG since April 2020. In addition to serving as a member of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, which is listed on the MDAX of the German stock exchange, Lamprecht is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Körber AG and Chairman of the University Council of Aalen University.
Andreas Pecher studied physics at the University of Würzburg and the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a Master of Business Administration at the Kellogg School of Management as well as a Master of Engineering Management at the McCormick School of Engineering. In 1998, his career took him to work as an engineer in chip production and development, initially at Motorola (today NXP) in Texas, USA. After completing his MBA in 2005, Andreas Pecher worked as a project manager at McKinsey & Company, focusing on high-tech and semiconductors. Starting in 2010, he headed the Strategy and Business Development department at the solar company Renewable Energy Corporation in Oslo and Munich. In 2013, Andreas Pecher became Head of Strategic Business Development at the ZEISS Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (SMT) segment. 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 thus appointed a member of the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG at the same time.
Dr. Frank Rohmund studied physics in Göttingen, Germany, and received his Ph.D. from the Max Born Institute and the Free University in Berlin. He has worked as a scientist in the USA and Sweden. At ZEISS, he started his career as a scientist in 2001 and assumed product responsibility for, among other things, the FlexIllu and the Starlith® 19xyi. From 2010, Dr. Frank Rohmund was Head of Metrology at the former Lithography Optics Strategic Business Unit. In this role, he advanced in particular the development and implementation of EUV measuring technologies. From 2015, Dr. Frank Rohmund was Head of Global R&D at the Semiconductor Mask Solutions (SMS) strategic business unit and took over as Head of the EUV field of business within the Semiconductor Manufacturing Optics (SMO) strategic business unit in 2017. Since 2022, he has been responsible for the SMO strategic business unit.
