{"id":7870,"date":"2025-09-05T13:29:46","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T11:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/?p=7870"},"modified":"2025-09-24T11:41:45","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T09:41:45","slug":"career-women-in-photonics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/news-insights-en\/career-women-in-photonics\/","title":{"rendered":"From Production to Leadership. Women in Photonics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<style>\n.headerblock.bgimage {\n\tbackground-image: url('');\n\tbackground-position: % %;\n\tbackground-size: cover;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n  <section class=\"headerblock gradient\">\n      <div class=\"container\">\n          <div class=\"product_breadcrumb hidden\">\n                        <\/div>\n          <h1 class=\"contrast\">From Production to Leadership. Women in Photonics<\/h1>\n          \n                        <h2 class=\"subline main-light\">How Sandra Schw\u00fcrzinger Conquered the Laser World at IMM Photonics<\/h2>\n          \n                    \n                    <a class=\"button backlink\" href=\"http:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/company\/news-insights\/\" target=\"_self\">News &amp; Insights<\/a>\n                  \n          \n      <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n \n<section class=\"two-columns introtext anim anim-top\" >\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"col-2\">\n\t\t \t\t  <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n            <p>Published 09\/09\/2025<\/p>\n        \t<\/div>\n\t\t        <\/div>\n      <div class=\"col-2\">\n            <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"subline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>One Woman. One Company. One Passion for Technology.<br \/>\r\nWhen you talk to Sandra Schw\u00fcrzinger, one thing becomes clear right away: she\u2019s a doer.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>              \n                          <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n\n \n  <section class=\"two-columns layout-6 even anim anim-top\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"col-2\">\n          <div class=\"img-wrap\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"890\" src=\"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Women-in-Photonik.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Women-in-Photonik.png 800w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Women-in-Photonik-270x300.png 270w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Women-in-Photonik-768x854.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"col-2\">\n            <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n              <h3>A Gut Feeling &#8211; and the First Step into Laser Technology<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A woman who took charge of her own career &#8211; and shows what female success can look like in high-tech environments.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And that in a field long considered a male domain: <\/span><b>photonics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2000, Sandra walked into the production hall of <\/span><b>IMM Photonics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> back in those days, in Viechtach &#8211; not as an engineer, not as a manager, but as a <\/span>production floor employee<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n         \n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"textblock  anim anim-top\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n          <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From her place on the production, the world of <\/span><b>laser technology<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><b>optical systems<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and <\/span><b>custom photonic components<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> seemed abstract at first. But what Sandra discovered wasn\u2019t just a job &#8211; it was a world full of opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><br style=\"font-weight: 400\" \/><br style=\"font-weight: 400\" \/><\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n \n<section class=\"textblock blockquote anim anim-top\" >\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n\t\t  <h2 class=\"subline\">I had no idea how lasers worked, but I was curious. And that curiosity was nurtured at IMM Photonics.<\/h2>  \n          \t<div class=\"quote-author\"><strong>Sandra Schw\u00fcrzinger<\/strong><\/div>\n        \t<div class=\"quote-position\">Chief Digital Officer<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"textblock  anim anim-top\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n          <h3 style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Discovering a Passion: From Hands-On Work to a Bachelor\u2019s Degree<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What began in a <\/span><b>production<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> role soon evolved into a full-fledged passion for technology.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With IMM Photonics\u2019 support, Sandra completed her <\/span><b>technical diploma<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and later her <\/span><b>Bachelor of Engineering<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; while working full time. She studied after hours, wrote papers on weekends, and found consistent guidance in her mentor, Christian Pritzl.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meanwhile, her career grew step by step:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From <\/span>production<\/b>, t<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">o <\/span><b>development<\/b>, t<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">o<\/span><b>\u00a0digital transformation<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today, Sandra is responsible for <\/span><b>digital innovation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at IMM Photonics and is part of the <\/span><b>extended leadership team<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n \n<section class=\"textblock blockquote anim anim-top\" >\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n\t\t  <h2 class=\"subline\">It\u2019s not about being promoted because I\u2019m a woman. It\u2019s about being taken seriously &#8211; just like anyone else.<\/h2>  \n          \t<div class=\"quote-author\"><strong><\/strong><\/div>\n        \t<div class=\"quote-position\"><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n\n \n  <section class=\"two-columns layout-4 anim anim-top\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"col-2\">\n            <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n              <h3 style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>IMM Photonics: Where People &#8211; and Careers &#8211; Can Grow<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">IMM Photonics develops and manufactures:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Custom optical interconnects<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Laser sources<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Fiber optics and assemblies<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Integrated photonic modules<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But most importantly: it builds <\/span><b>an environment where people can thrive<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n      \n        \n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"col-2\">\n          <div class=\"img-wrap\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_109-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Two women discussing laser components at IMM Photonics\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_109-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_109-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_109-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_109-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_109-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_109-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n \n\n\n<section class=\"textblock  anim anim-top\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n          <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sandra\u2019s journey is more than a personal success story \u2013 it exemplifies a <strong>corporate culture<\/strong> that fosters genuine growth.<\/span><br style=\"font-weight: 400\" \/><\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n \n  <section class=\"two-columns even layout-2 anim anim-top\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n    <h3>Why IMM Photonics Stands Out <\/h3><\/div>\n    <div class=\"container\">      \n      <div class=\"col-2\">\n            <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n              <p><p><b>Work\u2013life balance that works: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Employees can bring their children to work when needed\u2014showing true flexibility, especially for working moms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Collaboration beats hierarchy: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Progress is a team effort \u2013 and every door is open along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Continuous learning is encouraged: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Flexible work and further education is actively supported at IMM Photonics.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>        \n        \n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"col-2\">\n         <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n              <p><p><b>Equality in action: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Gender and age don\u2019t define career paths &#8211; <\/span><b>skills and mindset do<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Production with purpose: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Women lead in areas such as <\/span><b>fine assembly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><b>soldering<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and <\/span><b>fiber connector bonding<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; many of them coming from non-technical backgrounds like hairstyling or crafts.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>        \n        \n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n  \n  \n  \n\n \n<section class=\"textblock blockquote anim anim-top\" >\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n\t\t  <h2 class=\"subline\">We don\u2019t hire perfect resumes &#8211; we train based on potential.<\/h2>  \n          \t<div class=\"quote-author\"><strong><\/strong><\/div>\n        \t<div class=\"quote-position\"><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n\n\n\n  <section class=\"two-columns layout-1 anim anim-top\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"col-2\">\n          <div class=\"img-wrap\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_110-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_110-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_110-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_110-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_110-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_110-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMM_P_BD_110-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"col-2\">\n            <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n              <h3 style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>\u201cJust Go For It\u201d: Sandra\u2019s Message to Future Female Engineers<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">To many, technology still speaks with a male voice. But to Sandra, it\u2019s a space full of <\/span><b>curiosity, opportunity, and growth<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; especially for women.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s why her advice is clear:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cJust go for it. Be curious. Don\u2019t overthink it.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She\u2019s not alone: colleagues like <\/span><b>Nicole Stern<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, currently earning her own technical diploma, are already following in her footsteps.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Through programs like <\/span><b>Girls\u2019 Day<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, IMM Photonics helps inspire the <\/span><b>next generation of women in photonics and engineering<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n        \n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section>\n  \n \n\n\n<section class=\"textblock  anim anim-top\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n      <div class=\"text-wrap\">\n          <h3 style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Final Thought: Where Laser Precision Meets Passion<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">IMM Photonics proves that <\/span><b>technical excellence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and <\/span><b>human-centered leadership<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> go hand in hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is a place where <\/span><b>laser solutions for industrial applications<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are developed &#8211; and where <\/span><b>careers shine<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> just as brightly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Like Sandra Schw\u00fcrzinger\u2019s:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once a production line worker &#8211; now a digital leader helping shape the future of laser technology at IMM Photonics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Looking to grow your career in photonics?<\/span><\/i> <b>Explore career opportunities at IMM Photonics.<\/b><\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<section class=\"kontakt anim anim-top\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n        <div class=\"kontakt-textbox\">\n            <span class=\"headline\">NOTHING REPLACES <br>A PERSONAL CONVERSATION<\/span>\n            <span class=\"subline\">Feel free to call us or send us an email via the following link<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"button\" href=\"\/en\/contact\">Contact<\/a>\n\t\t            <div class=\"kontakt-kontaktperson\">\n                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/imm_photonics_pic_kontakt_DorisClemente.jpg\" alt=\"IMM Photonics Doris Clemente\" \/>\n                \n                <div class=\"kontakt-infos\">       \n                                            <h3>Doris Clemente<\/h3>\n                    \n                                             <div class=\"kontakt-position\">Human Ressources<\/div>\n                    \n                                             <div class=\"kontakt-tel\"><a href=\"tel:+49 89 321412-0\">+49 89 321412-0<\/a><\/div>\n                    \n                     \n                    \t\t\t\t\t\n                         <div class=\"kontakt-email\"><a href=\"m&#97;&#105;l&#116;o:&#106;ob&#115;&#64;im&#109;&#45;phot&#111;nic&#115;.&#100;e\">jobs&#64;&#105;&#109;m&#45;&#112;&#104;o&#116;&#111;ni&#99;s&#46;&#100;e<\/a><\/div>\n                                    <\/div>\n                \n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[156,157,159,158],"class_list":["post-7870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-insights-en","tag-frauen-in-mint-en","tag-management-en","tag-women-in-photocis","tag-women-in-tech-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7870\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imm-photonics.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}