Jena, May 22, 2026 – Carl Zeiss Meditec AG is getting a new leadership: Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor will take over the chairmanship of the executive board of the listed Jena-based medical technology group. She succeeds Maximilian Foerst, who departed at the end of 2025.
- Who: Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor (future CEO)
- Company: Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (headquartered in Jena)
- Background: Succession of Maximilian Foerst, who left the company at the end of 2025 due to a rule violation
- Start date: Open (depending on negotiations with current employer)
Experienced Manager Takes the Lead
The future CEO Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor is currently still serving as CEO of the Vitrolife Group, based in Schweden. Her move to Thüringen was recently decided by the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG. In addition to her role in Jena, she is also to be appointed to the executive board of the parent company Carl Zeiss AG (Oberkochen) in Baden-Württemberg.
Exactly when Brophy O’Connor will take office remains unclear. The specific start date depends on ongoing termination negotiations with her current employer. Until she takes office, Zeiss CEO Andreas Pecher will lead the business of the Thüringen subsidiary on an interim basis.
The future head brings extensive industry experience to Jena: she looks back on around 25 years of activity in medical technology and previously held leadership positions at renowned international corporations such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Medtronic, and Johnson & Johnson.
Challenges in the China Business and Planned Savings Program
The change in leadership comes during an economically demanding phase for the traditional Jena-based company. Carl Zeiss Meditec recently recorded problems in the important Chinese market. In response, the group recently announced a global cost-reduction program. As part of these austerity measures, up to 1,000 positions worldwide could be affected over the next three years.
With around 5,800 employees worldwide, Carl Zeiss Meditec AG is one of the highest-revenue industrial companies in Ostdeutschland. The main products of the Jena site include medical lasers, surgical microscopes, as well as diagnostic devices and artificial lenses for the treatment of eye diseases.
Background: The Importance of Zeiss for the Jena Location
The history of the city of Jena is inextricably linked with the name Carl Zeiss and the development of the optical industry in the 19th century. Today’s Carl Zeiss Meditec AG is a direct descendant of these industrial roots and, as one of the region’s largest employers, significantly shapes the economic power and reputation of Jena as an international high-tech center (“Lichtstadt”). The close networking between research at the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität and the local economy has always been considered a success factor for the location.
Source:
Medical Technology: Manager takes over top post at Carl Zeiss Meditec
Transparency Note: This article was automatically generated, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.