Press room

Eden Prairie, Minnesota (February 5, 2024) – Starkey is pleased to announce the promotion of industry veteran Hans Mehl to Chief Optimization Officer. With this promotion, Hans will continue to serve as an integral part of Starkey’s Executive Team and add to the company’s current trajectory of growth in 2024 and beyond.

As Chief Optimization Officer, Mehl will play a crucial part in streamlining operations, enhancing productivity, and ensuring a forward-thinking approach to the customer experience. His responsibilities include collaborating across various departments to identify and implement efficiency improvements as Starkey continues to develop new, industry-leading products.

“I strive for Starkey to be the best, which means we must ensure we have the right leaders in place who are committed to delivering results that will elevate the industry today and beyond,” said Brandon Sawalich, President and CEO at Starkey. “Congratulations to Hans on his new role. I am confident that his vast industry experience will help shape the future of Starkey’s success.”

Hired in 2022, Mehl uses his extensive executive leadership experience and deep industry expertise to elevate Starkey in the critical areas of manufacturing, global supply chain, manufacturing engineering, and quality & regulatory affairs. Reporting to Heinz Ruch, Chief Operations Officer, Mehl immerses himself into strategic projects and areas of opportunity to pursue continuous improvement and operational excellence to maintain Starkey’s position as a leader in product quality and on-time delivery. Prior to joining Starkey, Mehl worked in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States in executive-level positions within the industry’s leading organizations. He previously led global operations for one of the largest hearing aid manufacturers in the world and has extensive experience in finance and global manufacturing.

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About Starkey
Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development, and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies. The company has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide. Learn more at starkey.com.