Press Release

New Head of Corporate HR at the ZEISS Group effective 1 September 2021

27 May 2021

Oberkochen, Germany | 27 May 2021 | ZEISS Group

Effective 1 September 2021, Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf (52) will become Head of Corporate Human Resources for the ZEISS Group.

She will succeed Franz Donner (60), who will be taking early retirement at the end of the next fiscal year, on 1 October 2022. Until then, he will continue to perform his duties in full and subsequently work as a Senior Advisor for ZEISS on certain days. This will allow him to draw on his experience to help further develop HR at the ZEISS Group.

Effective 1 September 2021, Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf will become Head of Corporate Human Resources for the ZEISS Group.
Head of Corporate Human Resources for the ZEISS Group, Franz Donner, will be taking early retirement effective 1 October 2022. He will continue to support ZEISS as a Senior Advisor until then, and afterwards in a reduced capacity.

Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf is a lawyer by training. She worked as a specialist in labor law before accepting a managerial role in 2004 at Lanxess AG, a move which saw her career shift to the industrial setting. In this role, she managed a variety of HR functions and helped enable their future-oriented advancement. Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf currently works for the Currenta Group, a former joint venture of Bayer AG and Lanxess AG to operate the major chemical sites in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany. She is a Member of the Management Board and Labor Director. Her responsibilities include roles as Head of Human Resources, Head of the Education business unit, Head of Corporate Development & Regulatory Affairs, and Head of the COVID-19 crisis team.

These measures mean that Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf and Franz Donner can ensure the best possible handover during the transition period.

"We would like to sincerely thank Franz Donner for always keeping in mind the best interests of the company, its employees and its various locations during his 30-year career at ZEISS, where he developed solutions and created momentum. This enabled us to evolve into a modern and high-achieving employer," says Dr. Karl Lamprecht, President and CEO of the ZEISS Group, adding: "We are delighted to have found a seasoned manager in Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf who is able to take over such a key role for the ZEISS Group. We wish both of them much success and all the best when they assume their new roles in September."

Press contact Jörg Nitschke

Head of Corporate Brand, Communications and Public Affairs
ZEISS Group

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the optics and optoelectronics industries. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling more than 6.3 billion euros in its four segments Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets, and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (as of September 30, 2020).

For its customers, ZEISS develops, produces, and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, as well as medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world's leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare and Smart Production and a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company's significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS' technology and market leadership. ZEISS invests 12% of its revenue in research and development work – ZEISS has a long tradition of high expenditure in these areas. This also represents the company's investment in the future.

With over 34,000 employees, ZEISS is active globally in almost 50 countries with around 30 production sites, 60 sales and service companies and 27 research and development facilities. Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company Carl Zeiss AG (as of March 31, 2021).

Further information at www.zeiss.com