Press Release

Change in the management of Corporate Human Resources of the ZEISS Group

1 August 2022

Georg von Erffa will be the new Head of Corporate Human Resources (CHR). He will succeed Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf, who was appointed Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) on the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG from 1 July 2022.
Arlett Hesse will take on the newly created role of Head of CHR Germany.

Oberkochen, Germany | 01 August 2022 | ZEISS Group

Effective 1 August 2022, Georg von Erffa will take over the management of Corporate Human Resources of the ZEISS Group. He will succeed Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf, who was appointed Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) on the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG from 1 July 2022. As Head of CHR, Georg von Erffa will report to Susan-Stefanie Breitkopf.

Georg von Erffa has been Head of HR of the ZEISS Consumer Markets segment since May 2020. In this role, he has implemented various strategic projects, notably setting up the Sourcing Center in the UK, introduction of collective wage agreements at VIS, restructuring of Photo/COP and stepped up the international HR collaboration at COM. Until a successor for the Head of Human Resources at COM has been appointed, Georg von Erffa will retain this position on a temporary basis.

Georg von Erffa started his professional career at Haniel, initially in M&A in 2003, after which he pursued an international career at HeidelbergCement in 2006. He worked in various management and HR roles in Russia, Australia and Europe and acquired sound strategic and operational expertise which continues to characterize his work in HR. Georg von Erffa studied international business in the UK und in the US.

Newly created role of Head of CHR Germany

Effective 1 September 2022, Arlett Hesse will take on the newly created role of Head of CHR Germany. In this position, Arlett Hesse will report to Georg von Erffa, the new Head of Corporate Human Resources of the ZEISS Group, who will also be responsible for international CHR.

Since 2020, Arlett Hesse has been Head of the Corporate Centers (CC), Service Centers (SC) and the Shared Production Unit (SPU) as Head of HR at the Oberkochen, Jena and Munich sites. In the future, responsibility for these areas will also lie with the newly created role of Head of CHR Germany. Arlett Hesse has already successfully headed up multiple cross-site projects in Germany including Digital Participation as part of ZEISS@work, and the introduction of the 35-hour week and the supplementary collective wage agreement for all business units in Jena.

Arlett Hesse joined ZEISS in 2013 as Head of Human Resources HR for Medical Technology in Jena. In 2017, she assumed global responsibility as Head of People Development, likewise for ZEISS Medical Technology. In this role, she was part of the People Development and the Cultural Journey team. Before joining ZEISS, she worked in various roles in HR at amazon.de and Bertelsmann AG. Arlett Hesse studied social work at the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt and received a master’s degree in business law from Saarland University.

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. The ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling more than 7.5 billion euros in its four segments Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (updated: 30 September 2021).

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 as well as a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping technological progress and, through its solutions, is extending the horizon of the world of optics and associated areas. 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 13% 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 around 37,000 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 (status: 31 March 2022). 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

Further information at www.zeiss.com