As President Mark Smith retires, the company welcomes Hendrie Viktor as its new leader to accelerate innovation, customer value, and market growth.

MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Jan. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions USA today announced a leadership change as President Mark Smith retires after more than a decade of dedicated service.

ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions USA welcomes Hendrie Viktor as President to build on innovation and excellence.

Under his leadership, the organization strengthened its market position, expanded customer partnerships, and achieved significant revenue growth amid challenging business conditions.

Stepping into the role of President is Hendrie Viktor, an accomplished industry leader with more than 20 years at ZEISS. Viktor most recently served as Vice President of Sales for the U.S. organization, where he helped streamline go-to-market strategies, strengthen customer engagement, and partner across functions to elevate the company’s value proposition.

“During my tenure, we’ve doubled our market impact by expanding our expert network and enabling more manufacturers to leverage ZEISS technologies and software in their everyday work. This success is a testament to the dedication of our team and our shared mission to drive progress across industries—from advancing healthcare solutions to enhancing precision in aerospace, automotive, and electronics. With Hendrie’s proven leadership and deep industry expertise, he is well-equipped to guide ZEISS into its next chapter of innovation and growth,” said Smith.

Viktor brings extensive expertise in commercial strategy, customer experience, and organizational transformation. In his new role, he will focus on enhancing customer value, accelerating innovation, and driving sustainable growth in a rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape.

“I’m honored to step into this role as President of ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions USA. For more than 20 years, I’ve witnessed ZEISS’s evolution into a hub of innovation, fueled by our team’s passion and our unwavering commitment to our customers. As we look to the future, we will continue to build on this strong foundation, pursuing new opportunities, advancing technologies, and fostering a culture where people matter. Together, we will strive to make a meaningful impact across industries and in the daily lives of our customers, while shaping our next chapter of success,” said Viktor.

ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions remains committed to strengthening manufacturing with cutting-edge technologies, digital solutions, and a deep focus on customer excellence. This leadership transition reinforces the company’s dedication to supporting customer success, advancing sustainable manufacturing practices, and ensuring manufacturers can depend on ZEISS as a trusted partner for the future.

About ZEISS

ZEISS is an internationally leading technology enterprise operating in the fields of optics and optoelectronics. In the previous fiscal year, the ZEISS Group generated annual revenue totaling almost 12 billion euros in its four segments Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, and Consumer Markets (September 30, 2025).

For its customers, ZEISS develops, produces, and distributes highly innovative solutions for industrial metrology and quality assurance, microscopy solutions for the life sciences and materials research, and medical technology solutions for diagnostics and treatment in ophthalmology and microsurgery. The name ZEISS is also synonymous with the world’s leading lithography optics, which are used by the chip industry to manufacture semiconductor components. There is global demand for trendsetting ZEISS brand products such as eyeglass lenses, camera lenses, and binoculars.

With a portfolio aligned with future growth areas like digitalization, healthcare, and Smart Production and a strong brand, ZEISS is shaping the future of technology and constantly advancing the world of optics and related fields with its solutions. The company’s significant, sustainable investments in research and development lay the foundation for the success and continued expansion of ZEISS’ technology and market leadership. ZEISS invests 15 percent of its revenue in research and development – this high level of expenditure has a long tradition at ZEISS and is also an investment in the future.

With over 46,600 employees, ZEISS is active globally in around 50 countries with more than 60 sales and service locations, around 40 research and development facilities, and 30 production facilities worldwide (September 30, 2025). Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. The Carl Zeiss Foundation, one of the largest foundations in Germany committed to the promotion of science, is the sole owner of the holding company, Carl Zeiss AG.

Further information at www.zeiss.com

ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions

ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions is a leading manufacturer of multidimensional metrology solutions. These include coordinate measuring machines, optical and multisensor systems, microscopy systems for industrial quality assurance as well as metrology software for the automotive, aircraft, mechanical engineering, plastics and medical technology industries. Innovative technologies such as 3D X-ray metrology for quality inspection round off the portfolio. In addition, ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions offers a broad global spectrum of customer services with ZEISS Quality Excellence Centers close to its customers. The company is headquartered in Oberkochen. Production and development sites outside Germany are located in Minneapolis in the USA, Shanghai (China) and Bangalore (India). ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions is part of the Industrial Quality & Research segment.