Ingeborg Hochmair

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
CEO and CTO, MED-EL Elektromedizinische Geräte GesmbH 

“We restore the loss of hearing and other senses and body functions with implantable, individualised solutions to improve quality of life and possibilities. We innovate to make it easier and better.” 

Ingeborg Hochmair trained as an electrical engineer at the Technical University Vienna. With her husband Erwin Hochmair, she developed the very first microelectronic, multichannel cochlear implant to restore hearing, which was implanted in 1977. Following her research at Stanford University and Innsbruck University, she co-founded MED-EL and serves as its CEO and CTO. The company is based on innovation and translational research and has become a leader in global hearing and other active implantable neuroprostheses, employing 2600 people in 140 countries. Ingeborg is author or co-author of 120 patents and publications and has received several awards, including the Lasker DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.