Leadership Team

Stefan Kaufmann

Director, Representative Executive Officer, President and Chief Executive Officer

Stefan Kaufmann joined Olympus in 2003 as General Manager of Human Resources, Olympus Europe. Since then, he has taken on several roles and responsibilities including Managing Director of the Corporate Division in 2008, Executive Managing Director in 2011, and Managing Director of Consumer Business in 2013 for Olympus Europe. He became a Corporate Officer in 2017 and the Chief Administrative Officer, Director and Executive Officer in 2019. Based in Tokyo, Japan, Stefan is now the CEO of Olympus Corporation and focuses on moving the company to the next phase of its transformation and growth.

Stefan came to Olympus from Thomas Cook, where he was head of Human Resources Development. Prior to that, he spent 10 years in operational and strategic human resources management with the German department store chain Karstadt AG.

Stefan has been instrumental in Olympus’ successful transformation to a global medtech company. In addition, as one of the Chief Transformation Officers, he has led transformational projects over the past four years to drastically improve the company’s ability to invest for the future. Leveraging his professional background in managing a key market as part of the global operation, his expertise has helped the company realign governance system enabling agile decision making to empower employees and helping the wider business to flourish.

Stefan’s leadership helped set the company on a course towards a more strategic and sustainable growth phase while prioritizing patient safety and product quality, creating game-changing innovations and contributing to elevating the standard of care in targeted disease areas.

Nacho Abia

Executive Officer and Chief Strategy Officer, Olympus Corporation

Nacho started his career with Olympus in 2001 as the Chief Executive Officer of the Iberia Region based in Barcelona, Spain. He later moved to Hamburg, Germany in 2007 to take on a role as the Managing Director of the Consumer Imaging Business for the Olympus Europa region.

In 2011, he moved to Center Valley, Pennsylvania to join Olympus Corporation of the Americas (OCA) and assumed the responsibility of President for its Consumer Imaging Business Division. In 2013, he was promoted to the role of President of OCA and in March 2015 was also appointed as its CEO; a role he continues to hold today overseeing the Company’s activities throughout North and South America. In 2020, he stepped down as President of OCA in order to take on a global leadership role as Chief Operating Officer of Olympus Corporation. He is also a member of OCA’s Board of Directors and of the Global Executive Committee of Olympus in Tokyo.

In addition to his Olympus responsibilities, Nacho serves on the Board of Directors of AdvaMed (Advanced Medical Technology Association) and on the Board of Directors of the US-Spain Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining Olympus, Nacho held several positions in the IT and consumer electronics industries working for a variety of high-tech companies, including Sony and Techdata. He holds dual Master’s Degrees; one in Telecommunications and Electronic Engineering, and another in Business Administration.

Born in Spain, Nacho is married with two children and currently lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In his personal time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing tennis, hiking, running and cycling. He firmly believes in the motto, “Be persistent. Never give up and fight for what you believe is right.”

Julien Sauvagnargues

President and Regional Representative Officer, Olympus Corporation of the Americas

Originally from Albertville, France, Mr. Julien Sauvagnargues performs his current role as President and Regional Representative Officer of Olympus Corporation of the Americas (OCA), overseeing the Company’s activities throughout North and South America from headquarters in Center Valley, PA. He is also a member of the OCA Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Formerly, he was the President of the Scientific Solutions Group (SSG) and Consumer Products Group (CPG).

Julien joined Olympus France in 2006 as a Division Manager for the Microscopy and Industrial Endoscopy Products, later becoming Division Manager of France and Belgium in 2008 for Consumer Products. In 2012, he and his family relocated to the United States after accepting the position of Vice President of Sales of North America for Olympus Imaging America Inc. (OIMA). The following year, he was promoted to Group Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Prior to joining Olympus, he served four years as the Sales & Marketing Director at Arjo Wiggins in France.

Julien holds a master’s degree in technology and management from CentraleSupélec, a research institution in France, and a second master’s degree in finance from Edhec Business School.

In his free time, Mr. Sauvagnargues enjoys playing tennis, listening to music and reading.

Gabriela Kaynor

Executive Officer and Therapeutic Solutions Division Head, Olympus Corporation

Gabriela Kaynor joined the company in 2016 as Executive Director Strategy Development and Portfolio Management, Olympus Corporation of the Americas. She has held a variety of roles and responsibilities within the company including Vice President Marketing and PMO since 2017. In 2019, she became Senior Vice President Global Portfolio Management, Strategy & PMO Therapeutic Solutions Division for Olympus Corporation and in 2020, she assumed the current role of Global Division Co-Head of Therapeutic Solutions Division. 

Prior to joining Olympus Corporation, she was Director of Operations at Acclarent and spent over five years at Covidien (now, Cardinal Health) in roles across R&D, Program Management Office & Advanced Supplier Development supporting strategic growth. Gabriela started her career with Johnson & Johnson in their Neuro Division taking on varying roles within Operations, Supply Chain and Engineering.

As the only female member of the Group Executive Committee, she is passionate about accelerating the company’s efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion to all levels of the organization. She believes in encouraging each employee to understand their role in accomplishing the company’s priorities and feel empowered to work with unity and agility to accelerate and unlock the potential that Olympus has.

In her free time, Gabriela enjoys traveling with the family, participating in outdoor activities, appreciating blue skies, going to the beach, and enjoying good meals with family and friends.