Introducing the AO's new CEO
Effective January 1, 2025, Claas Albers has taken office as the AO Foundation's new CEO and Vice-Chairman.
The AO Foundation Board has appointed Claas Albers as the AO’s new CEO and Vice-Chairman. The 56-year-old began his career in marketing and was the AO's Executive Director Innovation Translation until the end of last year. Albers succeeds Christoph Lindenmeyer, who has retired.
Albers studied law at Freie Universität Berlin and completed a two-year legal clerkship thereafter. Before joining the AO Foundation, he was a marketing manager for design and IT companies and a marketing project manager for various large industrial clients.
His AO career began in 2005 at the Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery at Berlin's Charité with AO Past President Norbert Haas. After moving to Davos, Albers took over the management of the AO Technical Commission (AO TC), where he worked closely with the AO's current President Tim Pohlemann.
Under Albers' leadership, several strategic AO initiatives, such as the expansion of the AO's development projects with industry partners, the Development Incubator, AO Recon, and AO Sports, were launched. In 2020, the AO Innovation Translation Center (AO ITC) was founded. In this context, he also assumed responsibility for the AO's clinical research (formerly AO CID) and the AO Spine Knowledge Forums. Albers is also a member of the Advisory Board of RIMASYS GmbH in Cologne, Germany, a wholly owned subsidiary of the AO.
“As I step into this role, my aim is to drive sustainable growth, foster a culture of collaboration and inclusion, and ensure that we continue to make a meaningful impact in the field of musculoskeletal surgery. I would like to focus our organization on creating value because together we can make a huge difference for patients and improve patient care worldwide,“ said Albers.
Roland Herzog has taken over Albers' former position as Executive Director Innovation Translation.