Manuel Aschwanden
CEO | Co-founder
Manuel holds an MSc in electrical engineering and a PhD in nanotechnology from ETH Zurich. Besides his excellent engineering skills he also gained a broad knowledge in economics during his business education at Imperial College London and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to Optotune, Manuel has gained experience in engineering at Avalon and ABB. He has been serving as CEO since 2008.
David Niederer
CTO | Co-founder
David has an MSc in mechanical engineering and is the second co-inventor of Optotune’s core technology. During his studies at ETH Zurich he specialized in industrial process engineering, innovation management and micro and nanotechnology. David has been responsible for product and process development at Optotune since 2008.
Mark Ventura
VP BD & PdM | Co-founder
Mark holds an MSc in electrical engineering from ETH Zurich. Having lived and worked in Gothenburg, Paris, San Francisco and Boston, Mark has an international profile with a broad network. He started his career as strategy consultant with Bain & Company. Mark co-founded Optotune in 2008. After building up operations he now focuses on sales, marketing and product management.
Aaron Gerratt
VP Engineering
Aaron holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University and a PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park. Before joining Optotune in 2018, Aaron worked on novel materials for prosthetic devices at EPFL in Lausanne and at a startup focused on medical and wearable technology innovations. Aaron previously led Optotune’s Project Management team and transitioned to leading the Engineering team in 2024.
Tomáš Haršány
VP Operations
Tomáš holds a Master’s degree in Non-Metallic Materials from the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava. He has more than 15 years of experience in the electrical, electronic, and optics manufacturing industry, focusing on quality, operations, and leadership. Tomáš joined Optotune in 2019 as Quality Manager and was later promoted to Head of Operations Slovakia. Since March 2023, he has been serving as General Manager at Optotune Slovakia, and in October 2025, he was appointed Vice President Operations.
Christian Herr
VP Finance & Administration
Christian holds various degrees in Finance, the latest being CGMA from CIMA in London. Prior to joining Optotune, Christian held various local-, regional- and global Financial Leadership Roles with stock-listed companies in different industries such as Biotech, Electronics, Logistics and Consulting. Having lived in Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and worked mostly internationally, Christian has an international profile and -network. Since May 2023 he does lead the Finance and Administration Team at Optotune.
Adrian Wethli
VP HR
Adrian studied psychology at the University of Zurich. He joined Optotune in 2019 and leads the HR team since 2023. Prior to joining Optotune, Adrian held various HR positions in smaller companies and industries such as finance, fast-moving consumer goods, and real estate. Before entering the HR field, Adrian was a coach and teacher of children of all ages, focusing on English language instruction and learning strategies.
Marco Pigozzi
VP Sales & Marketing
Marco holds an BSc in aerospace engineering from Polytechnic of Milan and an MBA from Kingston Business School in London. Prior to joining Optotune, Marco worked in different industries such as Consulting, Life Science and Biotech with focus on development of direct and indirect global sales teams within SMEs and stock-listed companies. Marco lived and worked in Milan, London, Munich with extensive exposure on Asia and US, where he developed his business network. Since July 2024 he leads the Sales and Marketing Team at Optotune.
Ivan Chovanec
VP Information Technology
Ivan holds a Master’s degree in Business Informatics from the University of Economics in Bratislava and brings over 17 years of experience in IT and project management. He joined Optotune in 2019 as EFS Manager, leading a 15-member R&D team developing electronics, firmware, and software solutions. In 2023, he became Global Head of IT, establishing Optotune’s IT department and driving digitalization, automation, and AI initiatives. Since March 2023, Ivan has also been serving as General Manager at Optotune Slovakia, and in October 2025, he was appointed Vice President of Information Technology.