Lukas Braunschweiler - CEO
Dr. Lukas Braunschweiler (born in 1956, Swiss citizen) joined the Sonova Group as CEO in November 2011. Before joining Sonova, he was CEO of the technology group Ruag. From 2002 to 2009, as president & CEO, he headed the Dionex Corporation. The California-based company, active in the lifesciences industry, is listed on the US stock exchange Nasdaq. Prior to this he was operative from 1995 to 2002 in various positions in Switzerland and the US for the precision instruments manufacturer Mettler Toledo. Lukas Braunschweiler received a Master of Science in analytical chemistry (1982) and was awarded a PhD in physical chemistry (1985) from ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Paul Thompson - Interim CFO / GVP Corporate Development
Paul Thompson (born in 1967, Canadian citizen) has been with Sonova since 2002 and has been appointed Interim CFO in March 2011. From 2002 to 2004 he was Chief Financial Officer of the Sonova Group already. Since 2004 he was Group Vice President, Corporate Development. In this position he was responsible for business development and M & A transactions. From 1998 to 2001, Paul Thompson was CFO and later COO of Unitron Hearing Group. Before that he worked for Ernst & Young in Canada from 1987 to 1998 – first in auditing, and then in management consultancy. Paul Thompson studied finance and business studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada. In 1992 he became a Chartered Accountant.

Sarah Kreienbühl - GVP Corporate HR
Sarah Kreienbühl (born in 1970, Swiss citizen) is Group Vice President Corporate Human Resources Management since August 2004. Before that, Sarah Kreienbühl was Head of Global Human Resources and member of the Executive Board of the Tecan Group in Männedorf, Switzerland. Prior to that she was a consultant with Amrop International, Zurich, Switzerland, where she did executive search projects and also introduced new assessment and management audit services. She started her career as a psychologist with Swissair, where she was involved in the selection of pilots and air traffic controllers. Sarah Kreienbühl studied Applied Psychology at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and obtained a masters degree, followed by a number of additional qualifications in the field of human resources management.

Ignacio Martinez - GVP International Sales
Ignacio Martinez (born in 1965, Spanish citizen) was appointed Group Vice President International Sales effective January 2005. Prior to this position he was Managing Director of Phonak Spain since 2001 where he led the integration of several entities. He has 30 years of experience in the hearing instrument industry. Before joining Phonak, he was working for Widex Audiofonos in Spain, holding positions as Hearing Aid Technician, Assistant Technical Director, and as Director of Sales and Marketing. Ignacio Martinez has studied electronic engineering at the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya in Barcelona. He also completed training as hearing care professional.

Hans Mehl - GVP Operations
Hans Mehl (born in 1959, German citizen) was appointed Group Vice President Operations of Sonova in April 2007. Before joining Sonova, he held various international leadership positions in the Netherlands, Singapore, USA and Switzerland within the Siemens Group. In his last position Hans Mehl acted as Co-Division Head of Fire and Security business at Building Technologies in Zug, Switzerland. Between 2000 and 2003, he was CFO of Global Health Services at Medical Group in Philadelphia, USA. Before that he was a member of the executive management of Siemens Audiology Group. Hans Mehl completed his education in business administration in Germany.

Maarten Barmentlo - GVP Marketing
Maarten Barmentlo (born in 1967, Dutch citizen) joined the Sonova Group as Group Vice President Marketing in January 2011. Before joining Sonova, he served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Systems at Philips Healthcare in the Netherlands. Maarten Barmentlo gained over 20 years of working experience within Philips covering a variety of functional areas and Business Units in the Netherlands and in the US. He was responsible in various global management positions for areas such as domestic appliances, personal care, oral health care, as well as in other consumer and professional healthcare categories. He started his career in Corporate Research at Philips. Maarten Barmentlo received a Master in Physics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and was awarded a PhD in Physics from Leiden University in the Netherlands for a dissertation in the field of non-linear optics.

Hansjürg Emch - GVP Medical
Hansjürg Emch (born in 1968, Swiss citizen) joined the Sonova Group as Group Vice President Medical in March 2011. Before joining Sonova, he was President of the global Spine division of the implant manufacturer Synthes. During his time at Synthes he held various positions and gained broad specialist and management skills. Hansjürg Emch acquired experience in general management, sales, product and business development as well as clinical and regulatory affairs in the US and Europe. Hansjürg Emch has a Master of Science and Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.

Alexander Zschokke - GVP Channel Solutions
Alexander Zschokke (born in 1965, Swiss citizen) has worked for Sonova since 2006. He is responsible for Sonova’s retail activities since February 2010 as Group Vice President, Channel Solutions, and was previously Group Vice President, Marketing, for the Sonova Group. From March 2011 until Oktober 2011 he acted as Interim CEO. Before joining Sonova, he worked from 2002 as managing director of the marketing agency Brand View. Alexander Zschokke’s earlier career included ten years in fashion and retail where, as Vice President, Marketing, for Bally and later for Salvatore Ferragamo, he oversaw the development of global brands. Previously he was a project manager for Contraves. Zschokke studied mechanical engineering and business studies at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland, earning a Master of Science degree.