New director of the Board at Oertli
Andreas Bosshard, co-owner and former managing director of Oertli Instrumente AG, handed over the chairmanship of the board into new hands; into the capable hands of Andreas Schmidheini. The Board of Directors was reorganised as of 1st January 2020.
In 1988, Andreas Bosshard joined Oertli Instrumente AG, at that time a manufacturer of high-precision ophthalmic surgical instruments, and took over as managing director in 1989. Heinz A. Oertli, the founder of the company, had hired the engineer, who had experience as a development, sales and marketing manager, with the intention of finding a successor. In 1992, the change of ownership took place with 30 employees at that time.
For more than 20 years, Andreas Bosshard managed the small and medium-sized company and led it from a local manufacture to an international success story in ophthalmic surgery. Even though Andreas Bosshard honestly talked about two product flops in his career at the employee information on July 3rd, he always had a vision strategically, which was consistently pursued. Under his leadership, Oertli launched five surgical platforms onto the market, developed two new surgical techniques for glaucoma and cataract surgery, and successfully introduced several inventions that still shape the world of ophthalmology today.
In 2010, Andreas Bosshard handed over the operational management to his two sons and concentrated on his function as Chairman of the Board. Christoph Bosshard, the current CEO, emphasized during the employee information that the handover worked perfectly.
For a decade, Andreas Bosshard served as Chairman of the Board, of which his wife Rosmarie Bosshard was also an important member.
Andreas Bosshard did not miss the opportunity to recapitulate his 30 years with Oertli. Since he handed over the operational management, around 90 employees and sales companies in four countries, have joined the company. As an experienced speaker, he kept the 200 employees under his spell during his retrospective and secretly moved a few employees to tears with his words. At the end of the event, his family and all employees gave the 76-year-old a deserved standing ovation to thank him.
The new Chairman of the Board is Andreas Schmidheini, who recently handed over his own company, Varioprint AG, into younger hands. He has already been on the Board of Directors of Oertli Instrumente AG since 2010. Andreas Schmidheini is visibly impressed, by the life's work of his predecessor. Andreas Bosshard's two sons, Christoph Bosshard, CEO and Thomas Bosshard, Head of Marketing & Sales, are also new to the Board of Directors.
The five board members are completed by two experienced personalities from the medical technology sector; Andrea Berlinger Schwyter, owner and Chairman of Berlinger & Co. AG in Ganterschwil and Reinhold Gasper, Site Manager of B. Braun Medical AG in Escholzmatt, LU. The newly composed Board of Directors is the supreme supervisory body and as such is responsible for the long-term strategic direction of the company. This includes major investments such as the planned new building. The three-story building will provide urgently needed space, especially for logistics, and offer sufficient space for the planned production expansion at Oertlis’ headquarter in Berneck, Eastern part of Switzerland.
