Brainlab SE: Conversion into European stock corporation completed

Brainlab SE (“Brainlab”), a global medtech company with a strong focus on software development and artificial intelligence, announced today that it effectively concluded the conversion of Brainlab AG into a European Stock Corporation (Societas Europaea, SE) with the entry of the conversion into the commercial register on June 24, 2025. This change in legal structure underscores the company’s pan-European identity and reflects its international customer and employee base, as well as their shared values. 

With this legal conversion, Brainlab has taken an important step in advancing its corporate structure, increasing employee involvement and strengthening its global organization. Brainlab now operates under a one-tier governance system, with an Administrative Board serving as the central governing body.  

The Brainlab Administrative Board is composed of six distinguished professionals with diverse expertise spanning technology, business management, investment, finance and healthcare. 

• Stefan Vilsmeier, Brainlab Founder, serves as the Chairman of the Administrative Board. 

• Dr. Klaus Kleinfeld has decades long experience as an international manager, investor, founder and entrepreneur. He has served as CEO of Siemens AG, ALCOA Inc. and Arconic Inc.  

• Sebastian Kuss, co-founder and managing partner of EMH Partners, is an entrepreneur with long-standing experience in investments in technology-oriented, founder-led Mittelstand companies (SMEs). 

• Prof. Dr. Stephanie E. Combs, Chair of Radiation Oncology at TUM University Hospital and Dean of the TUM School of Medicine and Health, is a renowned expert in radiation oncology and academic leadership, contributing valuable medical and scientific perspectives.  

• Éva Haász, MBA, CFO at VHV International, brings financial and governance expertise to the board.  

• Rainer Birkenbach, CEO of Brainlab, represents the company’s management team, acting as both a Managing Director and a member of the Administrative Board, and combines his technical background in electrical engineering with decades of experience at the company, bridging operational leadership and board oversight. 

The operational management of Brainlab is comprised of four Managing Directors, each responsible for specific areas within the company. Rainer Birkenbach serves as CEO, Florian Hoffmann acts as Chief Operating Officer (COO), Rudolf Kreitmair holds the position of CFO and Tobias Schalkhaußer serves as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). All four Brainlab Managing Directors bring diverse expertise, combining deep in-house knowledge with valuable external experience across various industries. Their collective backgrounds continue the comprehensive approach to driving the company’s strategic goals forward. 

Stefan Vilsmeier, Founder and Chairman of the Administrative Board at Brainlab, stated: “Brainlab is a European company plain and simple. It reflects the cultural wealth and values of our heritage and employees. The SE conversion firmly establishes this idea as a central tenet of the company’s governance. I negotiated a new employee participation agreement solidifying how our employees have fueled our growth and success. The choice of board structure creates an international and more broadly established system. I am eager to spearhead the next phase of growth in my new role at Brainlab.” 

The conversion will generally have no effect on existing contractual and shareholding relationships. The headquarters of Brainlab SE remain unchanged in Munich.