The company plans to appoint Kaufmann, the current director, executive officer and chief administrative offer, effective April 1, 2023. Yasuo Takeuchi currently serves in the roles to which Olympus appointed Kaufmann. He moves to the position of director, representative executive officer, chair and ESG officer.
Olympus’ board of directors plans to formally decide on the changes at the end of March 2023. It expects the leadership transition to strengthen the Olympus management foundation as part of its value creation plan.
In a news release, Olympus said Takeuchi led its “recent transformation journey to becoming a leading global medtech company.” The company plans for Kaufmann to lead the effort to elevate the standard of care in targeted diseases. It expects him to accelerate growth at the company.
Takeuchi served in his recent role for the past four years. In his tenure, he oversaw the transfer of the company’s imaging and scientific solutions business toward a renewed focus on medtech. He implemented a number of operational changes and structural reforms at Olympus.
“It has been a privilege to lead Olympus through a historic moment for the company,” said Takeuchi. “With the completion of the groundwork of transformation in the first three years since the corporate strategy was announced in 2019, we can now shift to the next phase to accelerate growth and improve performance. I have full confidence that Stefan will continue this momentum.”
About Kaufmann
Takeuchi added that Kaufmann helped to implement Olympus initiatives and shape the company’s future direction. The two worked closely together for more than 15 years, he noted.
Kaufmann brings two decades of senior leadership experience. His tenure at Olympus includes driving change in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
“I am honored and humbled at the opportunity to serve as the next director, representative executive officer, president, and CEO of Olympus,” Kaufmann said. “After years of very successful transformation, we see further opportunities to advance our global operations and processes with a strong focus on elevating the standard of care to benefit our customers and patients. Looking three-to-five years ahead, our key themes will be innovation, research, and development and inorganic growth, competitive performance, talent development, and sustainability.”