Leica Microsystems appoints new president and director

Leica Microsystems has appointed Markus Lusser as its new president and director. Lusser succeeds Andries Peter Jan van den Broek who has left the company.

Lusser holds an Electrical Engineering degree in Telecommunications and Electronics from the College of Electrical Engineering in Innsbruck, Austria (HTBLA). His professional career includes 20-year tenure at Siemens Healthcare, most recently as vice president of Global Sales and Marketing for Siemens’ Molecular Imaging business. 

Before joining Leica Microsystems, Markus Lusser was vice president of Global Sales and Customer Support with Sciex, a company which produces analysis instruments.

Leica is a pioneer in super resolution microscopy. The company has worked in close collaboration with Stephan Hell, the Chemistry Nobel Laureate who invented stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy. STED is a technique that overcomes the diffraction limit of traditional optical microscopy (around 200nm), offering resolutions of 30nm to 80nm; up to ten times greater than traditional fluorescence microscopic techniques.

Leica launched its first super-resolution microscopy system in 2004, and introduced its first STED system in 2007. The company recently noted that the market for super resolution microscopy is expected to grow by 15 per cent over the next few years, compared to just two to three per cent for the total microscopy market. 

In his new role with Leica Microsystems, Lusser assumes leadership over a major worldwide developer and manufacturer of microscopes and scientific analysis instruments. 

‘I’m delighted with my new assignment at Leica Microsystems,’ Lusser commented. ‘This company has set standards within Danaher. Over the past few weeks I have experienced the innovative strength of Leica Microsystems. And I have seen the passion with which our team fulfills customer requirements in industry, medicine, and research, collaborating with them to develop solutions. I am looking forward to being part of the successful future of the company.’

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Further information

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