The Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG has appointed Dr Ronny Fritsche (44) to the position of Chief Operations and Technology Officer with effect from 1 September 2024. In the future, the company’s executive board will comprise the three board members Matthias Harsch (CEO), Michael Grimm (CFO) and Dr Ronny Fritsche (COTO). In his role as COTO, Dr Ronny Fritsche will primarily be responsible for the areas Operations and Supply Chain, Engineering and Development. He will assume control of the area of responsibility previously managed on an interim basis by Matthias Harsch.
Dr Ronny Fritsche can draw on many years of experience and professional expertise gathered in the areas of production, logistics, supply chain and development and their value creation chains. Born in Gera in 1980, the business informatics specialist and graduate in production engineering previously worked in a variety of management functions in international companies and institutions such as the Swarovski Group and the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft.
In the words of Dr Andreas Kaufmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera AG: ‘We have set ourselves extremely ambitious growth targets for the coming years. This is why it is essential that we significantly strengthen the area of Operations and Technology to enable us to even more effectively exploit its potentials and bring it into line with Product and Sales for the future. With Dr Fritsche, we are very pleased to have been able to find an experienced international leadership personality from an international working environment as an outstanding specialist for this position who will work hand-in-hand with existing members Mr Harsch and Mr Grimm on the Executive Board and contribute to the further profitable growth of Leica. On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would like to wish Dr Ronny Fritsche every success in his new role and in the realisation of the company’s strategic agenda’.
Dr Ronny Fritsche: ‘I am pleased about the confidence placed in me and now look forward to playing an active role in shaping the future success of Leica. In view of the high volatility within the industry, research and development will play a particularly decisive role in this’.
Further Information:
Leica Camera AG
Sandra Looke
Corporate Communications
Telefon +49 (0)6441 2080 404
sandra.looke@leica-camera.com
Leica Camera – A Partner for Photography
Leica Camera AG is an international, premium manufacturer of cameras and sports optics. The legendary reputation of the Leica brand is based on a long tradition of excellent quality, German craftsmanship and German industrial design, combined with innovative technologies. An integral part of the brand's culture is the diversity of activities the company undertakes for the advancement of photography. In addition to the Leica Galleries and Leica Akademies spread around the world, there are the Leica Hall of Fame Award and, in particular, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA), which is considered one of the most innovative sponsorship awards existing today. Furthermore, Leica Camera AG, with its headquarters in Wetzlar, Hesse, and a second production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal, has a worldwide network of its own national organisations and Leica Retail Stores.