Coherent Appoints Andreas Mattes CEO

Coherent Inc. and its board of directors has named Andreas “Andy” W. Mattes, previously senior adviser at McKinsey & Company and president and CEO of Diebold Nixdorf, as the company’s new president, CEO, and member of the board of directors.

The appointment follows the announcement a year ago that John R. Ambroseo would retire from his positions as president, CEO, and board member no later than April 2021. Ambroseo will become a special adviser to the company until the end of next year, ensuring a smooth and successful transition. On Mattes’ recommendation, Coherent’s board of directors has also appointed Mark Sobey, a 13-year senior executive at the company, as Coherent's new executive vice president and chief operating officer.

“Following an extensive and thorough search, we are delighted to welcome Andy Mattes as Coherent’s new CEO, ushering in an exciting new chapter of the company’s long and storied history,” said Garry Rogerson, Coherent’s chairman of the board. “Andy is a proven leader and has significant experience running and growing global technology businesses, including hardware, software, and services. His strategic experience and leadership skills coupled with Mark Sobey’s deep industry knowledge, supported by our experienced senior staff, provides us with the right executive leadership to drive this next chapter for our business.

“We are extremely grateful for John Ambroseo’s steadfast leadership and commitment to Coherent throughout his three decades at the company,” Rogerson said. “During his tenure as CEO, Coherent became a technology innovator and market leader in the laser industry, and we thank John for all he has done over the past 18 years as CEO to bring us to where we are today. I am looking forward to working closely with Andy Mattes in the years to come.”

Mattes, a U.S.-German national, is an experienced global technology business executive with over 30 years of management experience. In his most recent position at McKinsey & Company, he focused on advising international businesses on high-impact transformations, agile change, and positioning companies for growth. Before that, Mattes led Diebold Nixdorf, a multinational financial and retail technology company, to be the largest ATM provider worldwide, due in part to a large U.S.-German cross-border corporate merger. Prior to this, he spent over five years in executive leadership positions at Hewlett Packard and over 20 years at Siemens AG.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead this exceptional company and am confident that we will re-emerge stronger when markets return back to normal,” Mattes said. “Together with Coherent’s management team, I will be focused first and foremost on ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and reinforcing the company’s strong balance sheet. Longer term, I look forward to working closely with the board and management to build upon the leading position Coherent has in the industry and to explore additional opportunities for Coherent’s leading-edge technology to drive growth and innovation.”