Jena, Germany-based Carl Zeiss Meditec AG said today that veteran Orange County medical device executive James Mazzo will be its new global president of ophthalmology.
Mazzo’s appointment is effective Aug. 1. He will be responsible for Zeiss’s new strategic business unit for ophthalmology, as well its U.S. sales and service center. Mazzo, who is deeply involved in local philanthropy, education and industry advocacy, will remain an OC resident and work out of offices here and in the Bay Area.
Mazzo was most recently chief executive and chairman of Irvine-based eye device startup AcuFocus Inc., and has more than 35 years of experience in the ophthalmic field, including 22 years with Allergan Inc. [now Allergan PLC].
AcuFocus said separately today that it appointed Alan Waterhouse as its president and chief operating officer and William Link, a longtime industry investor, as chairman to replace Mazzo.
Waterhouse joined AcuFocus last year. His experience also includes a stint at Advanced Medical Optics Inc., an eye surgery and contact lens care company that Mazzo previously led before its sale to Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories.
Link is a managing director and co-founder of Versant Ventures, a firm that finances healthcare companies at all stages of development.
