12-17-2019: Yoav Zeif became the fifth CEO in Stratasys history
Zeif officially assumed the role on February 18, 2020
On December 17, 2019, Stratasys announced the appointment of Yoav Zeif as its new Chief Executive Officer. Zeif officially assumed the role on February 18, 2020, succeeding interim CEO Elchanan (Elan) Jaglom, who had held the position since 2018. Jaglom had previously replaced Ilan Levin, who served as CEO from 2016. Zeif took the helm of the company during an exceptionally turbulent period for both the AM industry and the global economy. His tenure has encompassed challenges such as the C19 pandemic, the technological revolution brought by Bambu Lab, the useless conflict with Nano Dimension, and the AM market deepening in crisis.
Yoav Zeif is an experienced executive with deep expertise in the industrial sector. Before joining Stratasys, he held key leadership roles in major international corporations. From 2013 to 2018, Zeif served as President of the Americas Division at Netafim, the world’s largest provider of micro-irrigation solutions. There, he oversaw products, marketing, and global commercial relationships, introducing advanced IoT technologies and artificial intelligence into the company’s offerings.
After leaving Netafim, Zeif joined McKinsey & Company as a partner in its New York office, gaining significant experience in strategic management. He holds an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in international economics from Bar-Ilan University.
Yoav Zeif began his role on February 18, 2020, and just one month later, the C19 pandemic erupted in Europe, soon reaching the United States and paralyzing the entire Western economy. Considering that the Eastern world had already been grappling with the pandemic since late 2019, it’s hard to imagine a more challenging start to a new job.
Despite these circumstances, Zeif navigated the crisis effectively, even driving Stratasys’ stock price to its highest peak since the 2015 3D printing market bubble burst, achieving this milestone in January 2021. Unfortunately, things began to deteriorate after that, and the company’s current stock price is at its lowest point since 2003.
This decline can be attributed to two major factors:
Bambu Lab - in 2022, the Chinese company launched its groundbreaking desktop 3D printer, which disrupted the global balance of power in the FDM/FFF 3D printing market.
Yoav Stern - the controversial CEO of Nano Dimension, first acquired a significant stake in Stratasys, owning several percentage points, and then initiated a year-long campaign to take over the entire company.
This campaign caused significant upheaval. It led to the failure of a high-profile merger attempt with Desktop Metal in 2023 and embroiled Stratasys in another unnecessary battle, this time with 3D Systems, which also sought to acquire the company. Although none of these takeover attempts succeeded, they generated so much noise that the AM industry drew the attention of financial analysts. These analysts uncovered that the Western AM industry was built on shaky foundations, effectively triggering the crisis that the sector is now facing.
Despite these immense challenges, Yoav Zeif’s tenure should not be judged negatively. Given the extreme circumstances, he managed to steer the company through one of its most difficult periods, keeping it intact. Stratasys remains the undisputed leader in the AM market, a testament to Zeif’s resilience and leadership during extraordinary times.
Source: www.stratasys.com