“We are learning to ride the big waves”
10 June 2026
A conversation with CEO Dr. Andreas Sennheiser about resilience, customer centricity, and the future of audio in times of constant change.
Mr. Sennheiser, after your brother’s transition to chair of the Board of Directors, this is the first time we are conducting this interview with you alone as CEO. How are you experiencing this new role?
Andreas Sennheiser: We are currently experiencing not only a change at the top, but a transformation of the entire company. Today, our customers think primarily in terms of applications, and they expect a simple and consistent customer experience from us. Our strategy already addresses these requirements – and now we have also adapted our organizational structure accordingly: We have brought together our previous Pro Audio and Business Communication business units, will operate more functionally in the future, and are creating new forms of collaboration. This applies to governance models as well as decision-making processes and collaboration with the Board of Directors.
I think this is a very exciting phase. Naturally, this also changes my role, and I am looking forward to shaping things in my new position – especially because it is a new situation not just for me, but for the entire company.
How has the collaboration with your brother Daniel changed?
Andreas Sennheiser: This is a process for both of us. What we have kept is a well-established practice that has been in place for over ten years: Once a month, we deliberately set aside a whole day for each other to discuss and align on many things. This remains valuable – not only for aligning on key topics, but also to ensure that we personally stay close to each other. This closeness has always strongly shaped our collaboration and made our dual-leadership model possible in the first place.
At the same time, our different roles naturally bring about some changes as well. In the past, as Co-CEOs, we were involved in all topics at the same level. Today, it is more about which topics are addressed together, when, and to what depth. This is evolving step by step, and this process will probably never be fully complete.
Let’s take a look back at the past fiscal year. From an economic and geopolitical perspective, 2025 was another challenging year. How would you assess the year for Sennheiser?
Andreas Sennheiser: For me, the key word is resilience. We realized early on that the current dynamics in today’s world are not a temporary phase. The storm is not going away – you have to learn how to navigate it. This made it all the more important for us to drive forward our key projects and continue investing consistently, despite a challenging environment marked by geopolitical upheavals and a revenue decline of just under 6 percent. In addition to the company’s organizational transformation, this includes our SAP implementation and our Spectera ecosystem.
Especially in difficult times, there is a risk of falling into a kind of paralysis. That is why it was crucial for us to remain able to act while continuing to provide our customers with the exceptional audio experiences they rely on.
“The storm is not going away – you have to learn how to navigate it.”
- Andreas Sennheiser
How has business developed in the individual regions?
Andreas Sennheiser: We are seeing a strong consolidation of markets worldwide. Large providers are getting bigger and stronger, while highly specialized providers are finding their niche. This is significantly increasing competitive pressure, particularly in the mid-market segment. That also affects many of our customers – especially in the U.S. – and leads to a very dynamic competitive environment overall.
In AMERICAS, we generated revenue of €142.6 million – a decline of about 5 percent. Competitive pressure is strong there because it is the most consolidated major market. The current political conditions and economic uncertainty have dampened customer purchasing behavior. At the same time, we are convinced that the American market will rebound after this consolidation phase – we see great opportunities there, particularly in the areas of broadcast and immersive audio. EMEA was once again our strongest region, with revenue of €215.8 million. We view the decline of around 7 percent primarily as a reflection of the weak overall economic environment in Europe. In APAC, we generated revenue of €104.7 million – a decline of around 4.5 percent, but with one notable outlier: India. There, after many years of infrastructure development in the market, we have reached the next stage of development – moving toward the technological transformation of university buildings, public institutions, and corporate sites. The willingness to invest is enormous, making India one of our most exciting growth markets.
In 2025, you decided to relocate the Americas Regional Hub to Nashville. Why was that the right move, and what specific changes will this bring for your customers and local partners?
Andreas Sennheiser: Nashville is now one of the most important creative and production hubs in the American music industry. If you want to understand how customers work and create, you have to be part of that world. At the same time, many of our key partners are based there. For us, this proximity is a major advantage: We can test products while our customers are rehearsing. We can provide them with prototypes, tailor products to their needs, and offer service within 24 hours. We are becoming a stronger part of this community, which fosters a much closer form of collaboration.
Overall, what has been particularly helpful in getting through 2025 in a stable way?
Andreas Sennheiser: Certainly, the solidarity within the company – but also the motivation that comes from technological advancements. When teams see that innovations are working in the market and customers become excited, it generates tremendous energy. A great example of this: Ed Sheeran’s crew initially only wanted to use Spectera for in-ear monitoring. We simply added a prototype of our SKM hand microphone for a weekend to gather feedback. The reaction was short and sweet: “I do not have any feedback, but I am keeping the mic.” Then Ed Sheeran used that prototype in the pouring rain during a two-and-a-half-hour concert – putting the product through a real endurance test. From there, it went on a world tour. Moments like that create pride and trust within the company.
In 2025, Sennheiser celebrated its 80th anniversary. What takeaways do you have from this anniversary year?
Andreas Sennheiser: It is always difficult to pick just one highlight from a year with so many. It never ceases to impress me to see how strong our innovative strength still is, even after 80 years. The anniversary year was not just a look back at our history, but above all a look ahead. Spectera was certainly a major highlight. Its market launch and the response to it demonstrated the potential of this technology. The ecosystem exemplifies how we want to work in the future. At the same time, our new way of engaging in dialogue with customers was also defining. Today, we work even more closely and directly with our customers and continue to develop innovations together with them. Internally, we organized local celebrations for our employees and key customers in many countries. In Wedemark, our colleagues put together a big summer party themselves – with bands made up of staff members and a great atmosphere. And we launched some special anniversary products – a golden MKH 416 and an HD 25 in Ruby Red. All of this beautifully demonstrated just how much passion and commitment there is within this company.
“Today, we work even more closely and directly with our customers and continue to develop innovations together with them.”
- Andreas Sennheiser
With Spectera, you have introduced one of the most important innovations of recent years. What makes this technology so groundbreaking?
Andreas Sennheiser: I often compare Spectera to the transition from the keypad phone to the smartphone. As long as you still had a push-button phone, it was hard to imagine just what a smartphone offers. It is not just about a new product, but about a whole new approach: a platform that is ever at the end of what is possible.
For decades, the transmission standard in wireless technology remained unchanged. With Spectera, we have fundamentally redefined it for the first time – and that opens up new possibilities not only for audio, but also for data transmission and digital workflows in live and broadcast productions. New features can be added via software without customers having to wait for the next generation of devicesThis fundamentally changes our relationship with our customers. For example, more than 500 customers are now in direct communication with us through a dedicated Discord channel. Their feedback directly influences how we prioritize further development. New features are released in short cycles. This is a completely new dynamic.
Spectera has been developed for more than ten years. What does it take for a company to sustain such a level of innovation?
Andreas Sennheiser: Long-term innovation requires a clear vision – and definitely a certain amount of stubbornness to achieve something that no one has managed to do before. When you are breaking new technological ground, not everything works right away. It also requires a willingness to invest in the long term. As an independent family-owned company, we can develop technologies we believe in, even if economic success does not materialize in the short term. It is precisely this long-term perspective that is a major advantage for us – even if it may involve a certain amount of risk.
“Long-term innovation requires a clear vision – and definitely a certain amount of stubbornness.”
- Andreas Sennheiser
The Mobility area also continued to develop dynamically in 2025. What strategic role does Mobility play for Sennheiser?
Andreas Sennheiser: When it comes to Mobility, we first need to take a brief look at the business model: Due to our licensing business, revenue typically comes in with a delay of one to two years after the actual project work. In many ways, the growth we are seeing today reflects the success of projects we worked on one or two years ago. The team is constantly developing new projects – in addition to smart, we also collaborate with Morgan and CUPRA – these are strong brands that bring our technology into the vehicle. In the automotive sector, the question of what people actually want to do while driving is currently undergoing a fundamental shift – especially with regard to autonomous driving. The flexibility to give each individual seat its own audio world – one person is on the phone, another is listening to music, a movie is playing in the back – this zoning becomes a central feature in the vehicle. At the same time, the demand is growing for intelligent software solutions that enable a better sound experience with less hardware – which directly improves the range of electric vehicles. That makes mobility strategically very interesting for us.
You continued to invest around ten percent of revenue in research and development in 2025. Why is that so important, especially in difficult times?
Andreas Sennheiser: Technology remains the foundation of our competitiveness. But what matters most today is how well solutions integrate into our customers’ real-world workflows. That is why we increasingly view innovation as an interplay of hardware, software, and services. Our task is to develop solutions that adapt flexibly to different workflows and requirements and create real value for our customers – whether through more efficient processes, better collaboration, or new creative possibilities. Differentiation arises not solely from technological innovation, but from solutions that address our customers’ specific challenges and needs and continue to evolve alongside them. That is why we consistently maintain our investment in development, even during challenging market phases.
There is an increasing focus on the integration of hardware, software, and services. How is this changing Sennheiser?
Andreas Sennheiser: Hardware remains important because it is the interface between humans and technology. But the real value is increasingly being created in the digital workflow. That is why we are investing heavily in software expertise today. Already, more than 30 percent of our development expenses go toward software. This naturally changes the mindset within the company: We no longer view products as closed systems, but as platforms whose functions can be continuously optimized and expanded.
Sennheiser is a family-owned company with a long-term vision. What does long-term entrepreneurship mean in an increasingly dynamic environment, where decisions must be made at short notice?
Andreas Sennheiser: Today, a long-term perspective is less about being able to plan everything down to the last detail. Far more important is the ability to remain as flexible as possible within clear boundaries. That is why we deliberately define the markets in which we want to remain relevant in the long term and the technological developments we believe will have lasting relevance. Live experiences are a good example. We are convinced that people will still want to experience concerts together in the next ten years, because it is about social experiences – not just the musical experience. Within that framework, companies today must be able to react quickly to changes. Resilience has therefore become more important than traditional predictability.
“We are convinced that people will still want to experience concerts together in the next ten years.”
- Andreas Sennheiser
As the sole CEO, what would you like to focus on in the coming years?
Andreas Sennheiser: For me, three topics are central: a corporate culture that includes both employees and customers, as well as strategy and innovation. The fact that we are an independent family-owned company makes us unique in the audio industry. It gives us the opportunity to establish a direct connection between the owner family and end customers – as a sign of long-term commitment. That is something very few others in the industry can do in the same way. At the same time, we are working intensively to further develop our culture of innovation – that is, to move faster, act more boldly, and actively shape change. And I am particularly grateful to our employees, who, despite market dynamics and geopolitical challenges, are fully committed to implementing the internal transformation process.
And when you look ahead to the next ten years: What will change the world of audio the most?
Andreas Sennheiser: I am convinced that immersive technologies like AR and VR will fundamentally change live experiences. Imagine this: The experience that 50,000 people have in a stadium – at a concert or a soccer game – could be made accessible via AR and VR to 50 million people who are somewhere else entirely. That is something worth exploring further. At the same time, telepresence will also reach a whole new level. Collaboration can become significantly more immersive and emotional than it is today.
And yet, the desire for real shared experiences will remain. People will continue to want to make music together, attend concerts together, or share creative spaces. It is precisely this combination of technological innovation and human connection that makes the future of our industry so exciting.
“In the future, it will be possible to experience concerts, sporting events, or theater productions from anywhere as if you were actually there.”
- Andreas Sennheiser
Finally, after all the challenges of the past few years – how optimistic are you about the future?
Andreas Sennheiser: I do not think the world will become simpler or calmer again. But we are increasingly learning to deal with these dynamics. It is a bit like surfing: at first, you look for small waves. But eventually, you realize that big waves and strong winds can be really fun. I believe that we, as a company, are currently learning how to stay ahead of the wave. And when I see what our customers are able to achieve with our technology – there is a great deal of joy in this dynamic.
Here you find the annual report 2025:
