An Instrument of Change: Sonova USA President Sandy Brandmeier's Leadership and Advocacy in Hearing Healthcare

Hearing aids may not be most people’s idea of a fashion statement. But even though Sandy Brandmeier has normal hearing, she has been known to sometimes wear them. It’s a habit that paid off on one of her first days on the job and in a way hit very close to home.

It proved to be one of the reasons she sees her role as President of Hearing Instruments Wholesale for Sonova USA as more of a mission than a job—a mission she approaches with passion. Sonova is the world’s largest hearing aid manufacturer and the parent company of Phonak, Unitron, and cochlear implant maker Advanced Bionics. Brandmeier oversees guiding and advancing the companies within the Hearing Instruments group to deliver best-in-class hearing devices and customer experience in the United States, the group's largest market.

Before joining Phonak in the fall of 2018, she led global businesses across diverse industries, including healthcare, life sciences, education, and heavy industry. More recently, she was CEO of Wall Family Enterprise, a worldwide portfolio of businesses serving the early-learning, library, and civic institution markets. She has also held President and GM roles at Danaher and GE in the life science and healthcare segments and has become known for transforming businesses by adapting and innovating during constantly-changing circumstances. She also spent several years in a start-up in the music industry.

Brandmeier added another title in June when she was elected Chair of the Hearing Industries Association (HIA), the leading trade organization for US manufacturers of hearing aids and hearing-related products.

On the personal side, Sandy and her musician husband, Michael, share a 31-year marriage and three children. She spoke to HearingTracker from her home in Madison, Wis.

Just after you joined Sonova back in 2018, you changed the life of someone very close to you.

Brandmeier: Yes, my father. He had been living with hearing loss for a decade and is “just a little bit” stubborn. He said he didn't care about his hearing loss and he wasn't going to do anything about it. Then I came home for Thanksgiving wearing one of our hearing aids. I have normal hearing but sometimes I wear them to show off. He saw how small and beautiful they were.

But what really got his attention was when I explained the link between hearing loss and dementia. His mother—my grandmother—suffered from severe dementia.

I remember leaving the clinic with him, and as we were driving away, he said, “I forgot car blinkers made a noise!” He didn’t realize what he had been missing and was excited about this new world of hearing. My mom says happily he can now hear the timer on the dryer and get the laundry out. (I'm not so sure he's quite as pleased!)

Dad now has a little sticky note on the inside of the door that says “Ears” because he doesn’t want to leave the house without his hearing aids. They changed his life.

What do you do in your down time?

Brandmeier: I have to say that my job is very demanding, so I have to be very particular about my non-work hours and prioritize. Number one is family. I have three kids who are in their twenties, so they need less of my time now, but I always try to be available to them.

I used to say that I had three daughters but one of them is non-binary so I no longer refer to them as a daughter; I use they/them pronouns. So, yes, they’ve taught me a lot.

Family is super important to me, but so is taking care of myself so that I can have the energy to be a good leader. I exercise whenever I can. That's a priority, and my latest activity is bike riding. I live near a trail; I can just hop on the bike when I need to, and take off and go for a ride.

And then I'd say lastly, but certainly not least, is really working on my own spirituality and developing that part of me.

Your husband Michael is a well-known musician, and musicians are at high risk for hearing loss.  Do you talk about that?

Brandmeier: Absolutely. Michael is an indie musician, and he does listen to things too loudly—I’m sure he has some hearing loss.

One time Michael and I were on vacation in Nashville. We were in a bar with live music and having so much fun. But then my Apple watch warned me that we were in a loud environment that would cause hearing damage if we stayed too much longer. So we left early because we know so many people going to loud concerts who have ended up with a hearing loss.

So you have become something of an advocate for hearing health?

Brandmeier: You could call me a zealot. And now, anyone I meet who is not addressing their hearing loss, I just can't help myself from speaking up. I was at a wedding over the weekend, and this woman said, “You need to talk to my husband.” I said, “Bring him over,” and convinced him to get a hearing test. That’s the first step.

Because there are 1,014 of us at Sonova in the U.S. alone, we can be zealots out there in the world trying to get people to take that step. At work, we don't think of it in terms of how many hearing aids we shipped out the door; we ask how many lives we have changed this month.

Can you give me a sense of your style of leadership?

Brandmeier: First, I like to remind our people of our purpose all the time, which is summed up in our vision statement: “We envision a world where everyone enjoys the delight of hearing and therefore lives a life without limitations.”

One of the reasons I came to Sonova was that I had gotten to the point in life where the purpose and the vision of what I was after had become so important. You want to feel connected to something meaningful. You want to have a passion around it, right?

What gives you the most satisfaction in your leadership role?

Brandmeier: One of my greatest joys is when I see someone in our organization who has exceeded what they thought was their potential. They just tapped into some strength or gift that they have, and as a result, they've been able to really excel and deliver extraordinary performance.

When we harness people’s unique talents—and everyone has at least one and some are blessed with many—and apply them to positively impact others, we can move forward quickly as a company. We have great people and great solutions. Everyone wants to smile when they’re at work and be a part of something really important—in Sonova’s case, allowing people to hear the world and live life without limitations. That's what is most satisfying.