In 2009, a sales position for the Boston region became available at KLS Martin LP in the USA. In the U.S., our sales colleagues accompany hundreds of operations and are always very close to the product and its application. I didn't want to pass up this opportunity and, fortunately, my wife was also able to move to the Boston office of the management consultancy she works for. It was a win-win situation. I really enjoyed the time and learned a lot about our products and sales. In 2010 I felt ready to join the management team in Tuttlingen / Mühlheim, where I still work today.

The last ten years as President and CEO in the constellation with my father have been a lot of fun. We are a very good team and always speak with one voice to the outside world - this is also very important to my father. The only major dispute I remember took place because I thought that I found the way to our long-standing MEDICA (a trade fair in Germany) Hotel much better than my father and that I didn't need the navigation system either. In the end, however, we ended up in front of the wrong MEDICA Hotel. But joking aside - even if we disagree, we discuss our options behind closed doors and find a solution together. Both of us have to work on such a cooperation every day, but fortunately it works out very well for us. My father also showed me early on how entrepreneurial thinking works and was always my role model. Of course, back home, it wasn't just about business administration and numbers. My mother is a musician and has opened my eyes to the fact that there is something else to do far away from business studies. But at some point I gave up my cello career anyway.

Many great and exciting things have happened in these ten years. The highlights for me were the openings of our two training centers KLS Martin WORLD in Tuttlingen and KLS Martin WORLD North America in Jacksonville, Florida. For me, these two buildings have a piece of the past and a piece of the future in them. If our business had not been prosperous in the past, we would not have been able to construct these buildings and thus they reflect our success. At the same time, they offer us the opportunity to expand our training program and to literally let interested parties immerse themselves into our world and are therefore also directed towards the future. In terms of product technology, the combination of individualization and digitalization in the provision of our patient-specific implants was a highlight for me and continues to inspire me today. But I also like the personal interaction within the company very much. I can honestly say that I enjoy working with all my colleagues. Our working environment holds a lot of a family atmosphere, even with a workforce that now numbers over 1,500. That is something I really appreciate. Of course there are discussions from time to time, but that doesn't affect the general climate. 

When I think about the future, my main wish is that our group of companies continue to grow together and that we launch many new product innovations that make surgical processes easier. I am looking forward to this.