Carl Zeiss Meditec AG has confirmed that Bronwyn Brophy O’Connor will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer 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 was first announced in May 2026.
Brophy O’Connor currently serves as CEO of the Vitrolife Group, a global medtech company publicly listed on the NASDAQ Stockholm and headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. She will take over leadership of Carl Zeiss Meditec Group from Andreas Pecher, who has served as interim CEO since January 1, 2026. The confirmation of her start date ends a period of interim leadership and provides the company with a permanent chief executive as it advances its strategic transformation.
“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.
Peter Kameritsch, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, said: “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.” Dr. Michael Bolle, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss AG, thanked Andreas Pecher 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. He added that Brophy O’Connor will now be able to further advance the strategy and transformation of the Medical Technology segment and contribute to the success of the ZEISS Group.
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).
Brophy O’Connor studied at Dublin City University in Ireland, earning a bachelor’s degree in International Marketing and Languages (Spanish and French) and completing her Master of Business Administration in 2002. She began her career at Johnson & Johnson in 1997, serving in roles of increasing seniority and ending as General Manager of the Cardiovascular Care Group for the U.K. & Ireland in 2012. She then joined Covidien, which was later acquired by Medtronic. From 2013 until 2018, she served as Vice President Early Technologies EMEA and later as President Women’s Health at Medtronic in Boston, USA. In 2019, she 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.
The leadership transition matters for investors and the medical technology industry because Carl Zeiss Meditec is one of the world’s leading medical technology companies, supplying 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, and creates innovative visualization solutions in the field of microsurgery. With 5,784 employees worldwide, the Group generated revenue of EUR 2,228m in fiscal year 2024/25 (to 30 September). The Group’s head office is located in Jena, Germany, and more than 50 percent of its employees are based in the USA, Japan, Spain and France. Around 39 percent of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG’s shares are in free float, with approx. 59 percent held by Carl Zeiss AG.
Brophy O’Connor’s appointment places a leader with broad international medtech experience at the helm of a company whose technologies are used in eye disease diagnosis and treatment and microsurgery. Additional information is available through the ZEISS newsroom and the Carl Zeiss Meditec website.
