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ZEISS Has Invested a Lot in Helping Me Get Where I am Today

Anita Sonnenfroh talks about how she joined ZEISS

Anita Sonnenfroh has been a part of the ZEISS workforce for over ten years. "I studied International Business at Aalen University and was determined to write my dissertation at ZEISS in 2006. I’m originally from Nattheim and so ZEISS was always part of my life in some way, meaning I knew early on that the company behind the blue logo was an excellent employer."

Spain, Madrid: A view of Barcelona street in the city center of Madrid.
Spain, Madrid: A view of Barcelona street in the city center of Madrid.

Packed up Our Life and Ready to Discover What Lays Ahead

After her dissertation, she held a number of different positions at Microscopy in Oberkochen, until 2014 when she was offered a job as Head of the Microscopy production site in Iberia.
Now she works and lives with her family permanently in Spain and this year began heading the sales and service company there, which brings together the Microscopy, Industrial Metrology and Medical Technology business groups. She never would have pictured herself living abroad. “I spent a practical semester in Puerto Rico when I was a student, but I’m very connected to my hometown,” she admits.

When the job in Spain became available, however, curiosity and the promise of a new challenge won out. “My husband and I had packed up our life and were ready to go, raring to discover what lay ahead, but once we started work there were definitely a few occasions where I felt lost – this was mainly due to the language barrier at the office,” says the Madrid-based manager. But now everything’s different. “Our daughter was born in Spain and is growing up bilingually. That means I often find myself speaking Spanish at home. And now, when I come back home, I have to watch out that I don’t accidentally slip into Spanish,” she laughs.

I Get very Excited about the ZEISS Products and Technologies They’re Made up of

Her many experiences over the years and numerous extraordinary moments have only caused her fascination for microscopy to grow: “I’m not a physicist, biologist or chemist, but I get very excited about the ZEISS products and technologies they’re made up of, and am impressed time and again by the many applications of microscopy. In material science and analysis, for instance, they enable us to identify microstructures that have an impact on material properties. Or for detecting illnesses when examining cell structures. For conducting research into animals and fossils. But also in sparkling wine production, to examine the yeast bacteria involved in fermentation. And for restoring artworks and determining their authenticity, when developing the perfect toothpaste, during DNA analysis to solve crimes, or when searching for raw materials in rocks. The list is endless,” she says with a smile.

ZEISS is Actually the World’s Only Producer of Helium-Ion Microscopes

Today, it’s not just light microscopes that are used, but also electron, X-ray and helium-ion ones. ZEISS is actually the world’s only producer of helium-ion microscopes. “Our microscopes can even generate images in the nano range in both HD and 3D. Our comprehensive product portfolio can also be combined, which makes it possible to cover an incredible range of dimensions. This opens up whole new possibilities in medical and biological research,” she adds. The most significant science project at present is one that uses a ZEISS electron microscope to collect and process data: the Blue Brain project. It involves the creation of a completely 3D map of the human brain, including its smallest parts. A VR headset can use the data collected to embark on a virtual journey through the human brain.

Carl Zeiss Iberia S.L.
Carl Zeiss Iberia S.L.
Carl Zeiss Iberia S.L.

Carl Zeiss Iberia, S.L.
Division Metrologia Industrial
Ronda de Poniente,
5 Primer piso,
puerta derecha,
28760 Madrid, Spain

Anita Sonnenfroh

I think it’s great that ZEISS is still an important part of our world to this day and is as stable as it is.

Anita Sonnenfroh certainly appreciates that she works at a company whose products and services have played such a major role in people’s lives: “I think it’s great that ZEISS is still an important part of our world to this day and is as stable as it is. Every company goes through tough times – and ZEISS has always stayed true to its founding principles, i.e. to be precise, innovative, and take social responsibility.”

ZEISS has invested a lot in helping me get where I am today.

When Anita Sonnenfroh looks back over her time at the company, she can’t help but smile: “ZEISS has invested a lot in helping me get where I am today.” For instance, she has taken part in a Junior Leadership Program that prepared her very well for her current duties as a top manager. “ZEISS offers a host of development opportunities. You have to be open, take risks and accept new challenges. Then the world will be your oyster,” she says, speaking from experience. And she’s not the only one who’s happy with her choice of employer: “My dad is my biggest fan – I mean sure, I’m his daughter, but he’s very proud of the fact that I have such a great job at ZEISS.”

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