Michael Kaschke is President and CEO of the ZEISS Group and oversees Strategic Development, Brand & Communications, Legal & Compliance, Human Resources and Digital Innovation. He is also responsible for the Asia Pacific region. Michael Kaschke became Member of the Executive Board of the ZEISS Group in 2000, and was appointed as President and CEO in 2011.
In addition to his offices as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, a company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (MDax), and of other ZEISS companies, he is a Member of the Supervisory Boards of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Deutsche Telekom AG and Robert Bosch GmbH.
In 2014 Michael Kaschke was appointed to the German Council of Science and Humanities, one of the country’s most important scientific-political advisory boards.
In 2009 Kaschke became honorary professor of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He gives regular lectures on optical medical technology and innovation management.
Michael Kaschke is Chairman of the Aalen University Council.
Michael Kaschke was born in Greiz, Germany, on 18 June 1957. In 1983, he graduated with a degree in physics from Friedrich Schiller University in Jena.
He obtained two doctorates, the first in 1986 (Dr. rer. nat.) and the second in 1988 (Dr. sc. nat.). As part of his scientific work, he conducted research into the generation and application of ultra-short laser pulses.
Milestones in his career
- 2011 President and CEO of the ZEISS Group
- 2008 – 2010 President and CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
- 2000 Appointment to the Board of Management of Carl Zeiss AG
- 1999 Executive Vice President & General Manager, Medical Technology business group
- 1998 Vice President & General Manager, Surgical Products division
- 1995 Vice President & General Manager, Surveying Instruments division
- 1992 Joins ZEISS as a research scientist and R&D Director, Surgical Microscopes
- 1990 Invited Visiting Scientist at the IBM Research Center, Yorktown Heights (USA)
- 1989 Research Laboratory Head at the Max Born Institute, Berlin
- 1988 Doctorate (Dr. sc. nat.)
- 1986 Research scientist at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena
- 1983 Diploma in physics at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena