Growing up by a picturesque lake at the foot of Swiss Alps isn't the worst way to come up. In fact, it's among the best. That's the word from Andreas Fleischli. And he would know. It’s how his life started, leading to studying electrical engineering before being part of the team that created HeartMate 3, our latest heart pump. Let's get to know him.
You'd describe your childhood as … typical Swiss. In a family of four — so mum, dad, my 4 years older brother and me. I grew up in a small Swiss town called Zug, well suited at a lake in the Swiss Alps. It was really balancing time with my family, friends, school and outdoor sports such as skiing, hiking and many more.
Your 20-words-ish resume … I studied electrical engineering at the ETH in Zurich and earned my master's in 1996. I was also member of the Swiss Mogul Skiing National Team, competing around Europe. In 1998, I joined the MagLev group at Sulzer — Abbott Zurich today — as an electrical engineer within the R&D group, working on HeartMate 3 and CentriMag. Over the years I became a project manager, head of R&D, then Site Director.
Why this work, what drew you to it … We can help people live a better life, and we do that using outstanding technology in MagLev. It's a great team with great people.
Your proudest professional moment … The first implant of HeartMate 3. The gentleman continues to live his life touring through Europe in his motorhome.
When you're not Mr. Fleischli, for fun Andreas likes to … I love family time with my wife and my two kids. We do a lot of sports — like skiing in fresh powder, mountain biking in the Alps, windsurfing, playing ice hockey with my son, playing soccer with my friends and much more.
Your dreams for the future … My family stays healthy and we can spend a lot of time together in the outdoors of a peaceful, clean and intact world.
Thanks for joining us. Any closing thoughts? It's great to be part of Abbott to continue driving devices to their next level and help people live their best life.
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