Prof. Dr. Michael Kaschke

Prof. Dr. Michael Kaschke, Chairman of the Executive Board of Carl Zeiss AG, spoke on the topic "Digitalization as a new defining element of the ZEISS innovation strategy".

Carl Zeiss AG is a company in the precision mechanics and optics industry. The company was founded in 1846 and employed almost 25,000 people in 2014, generating a turnover of €4.29 billion. Carl Zeiss AG develops and manufactures solutions for the semiconductor, automotive and mechanical engineering industries, biomedical research, medical technology, spectacle lenses, photo/film lenses, binoculars and planetariums. Carl Zeiss AG is present in over 40 countries with around 30 production sites and over 50 service and sales locations as well as around 25 research and development sites. The company is headquartered in Oberkochen. Carl Zeiss AG comprises numerous subsidiaries. The largest subsidiaries of Carl Zeiss AG today are: Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Carl Zeiss Vision GmbH, Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH, Carl Zeiss IMT GmbH, Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH.

Prof. Dr. Michael Kaschke is Chairman of the Management Board and is responsible for the Microscopy and Industrial Metrology divisions. He is also responsible for the corporate functions Strategic Corporate Development, Corporate Communications, Corporate Human Resources and Corporate Legal & Patents. He also oversees the ZEISS sales and service companies in China, India, Southeast Asia, Latin America and South Africa. Michael Kaschke has been a member of the Group Executive Board since 2000. In addition to his mandates as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TecDax-listed Carl Zeiss Meditec AG and other ZEISS companies, he is also a member of the Supervisory Boards of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA and Deutsche Telekom AG. Michael Kaschke is Chairman of the University Council of Aalen University.

In 2009, Michael Kaschke was appointed honorary professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He regularly lectures on topics relating to optical medical technology and the management of innovation and business development processes. He is also a guest lecturer at renowned international research and educational institutions, including Harvard Business School in Boston and the University of St. Gallen. In 2014, Michael Kaschke was appointed to the German Council of Science and Humanities, one of the most important science policy advisory bodies in Germany. Michael Kaschke was born in Greiz on June 18, 1957. He studied physics at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena and graduated in 1983 with a degree in physics. In 1986, he received his doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.) and in 1988 his doctorate (Dr. sc. nat.). As part of his scientific work, he conducted research into the generation and application of ultrashort laser pulses. In 1994, he obtained a business degree from the GSBA Business School in Zurich.

Status: Beginning of 2016