Sonova Holding AG announced the retirement of CEO Lukas Braunschweiler after six years with the company and a total of fifteen years as a public company CEO. Arnd Kaldowski will initially join the Group as COO on October 1, 2017 and assume the CEO role after a transition phase on April 1, 2018. Arnd Kaldowski, a 50 year old German citizen, joins Sonova from Danaher Corporation, where he has served in various leadership capacities since 2008, most recently as Group Executive Diagnostics Platform and President Beckman Coulter Diagnostics.

In his initial role as COO, Arnd Kaldowski will have direct responsibility for all three businesses hearing instruments, retail and cochlear implants, as well as for research & development, supply chain and IT. Lukas Braunschweiler will continue to oversee finance, investor relations, human resources and communications. Arnd Kaldowski will assume responsibility for all functions and take over as CEO of Sonova on April 1, 2018.

To further support the long-term continuity in the leadership of the company and to secure his extensive industry knowhow, the Board of Directors will propose Lukas Braunschweiler for election as a member of the Board of Directors of Sonova at the annual general shareholders' meeting in June 2018. In his most recent role as Group Executive Diagnostics Platform and President Beckman Coulter Diagnostics at Danaher Corporation, Arnd Kaldowski had overall revenue responsibility of USD 5.5 billion globally, including direct reporting of the operating companies Radiometer, Leica Biosystems and Cepheid, and including the Heads HR, legal, finance, business development (M&A), clinical affairs, regulatory and quality. Before joining Danaher, Arnd Kaldowski was SVP Point-of-Care Solutions at Siemens Medical, following his previous assignments as Investment Director of Atila Ventures and as Manager with the Boston Consulting Group.