Richard Reynolds, who serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), has been promoted to Regional President of Olympus Corporation of the Americas, which is headquartered in the Lehigh Valley. 
Reynolds previously served as President of the Olympus America Inc. Medical Systems Group.
“Olympus is positioned to set the standard for the next generation of endoscopy-enabled care through strategies such as integrating breakthrough technologies like AI and robotics into our portfolio. I’m excited to build on my experience guiding our sales and operations teams to lead that effort in the Americas,” Reynolds said.
He joined Olympus in 1995, holding leadership positions in the U.K., Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He moved to the U.S. in 2011 to join Olympus Corporation of the Americas.
Later this year, the company will celebrate its 20th anniversary of relocating its Americas headquarters from Long Island to Center Valley in Lehigh County. The 2006 investment is one of the largest in the Lehigh Valley in recent history.
Reynolds has held senior roles there including Executive Vice President of Sales, Group Vice President of Commercial Operations and Service and, most recently, President of the Medical Systems Group.
As Vice Chair of LVEDC’s Board, Reynolds works closely with LVEDC’s leadership team, helping to shape the organization’s long-term direction and provide strategic guidance to recruit and retain employers, attract and develop talent, and keep the region competitive for years to come.
In each of the past two years, Reynolds was a panelist at LVEDC’s Fall Signature events. In 2025’s event, “Lehigh Valley: Making Products & Making Places,” he shared why Olympus chose to relocate to the Lehigh Valley – location, talent, and quality of life. In the 2024 event, “Tech & Talent for Tomorrow’s Lehigh Valley,” Reynolds explained how Olympus is developing talent for the future, including through a fellowship program with area college students.
As part of its new operating model, Olympus streamlined leadership operations with the appointment of one president for each of the company’s five global regions.
Reynolds replaces Julien Sauvagnargues, who previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Olympus Corporation of the Americas. Sauvagnargues has decided to leave Olympus.
“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Julien to champion key initiatives and foster a culture of collaboration and innovation across the Americas. I want to thank him for his guidance and counsel during this important transition,” Reynolds said.
“I was fortunate to work closely with Richard and build a strong partnership that was instrumental in driving progress. His extensive experience with our medical technologies will provide the Americas with steady leadership through this next chapter of Olympus’ history,” Sauvagnargues said.
Reynolds and the other four regional Presidents will report to Bob White, Director, Representative Executive Officer, President and Chief Executive Officer at Olympus Corporation.
“I’d like to thank Julien for his steady leadership that fostered a culture of excellence across the Americas as Olympus made the transition to a purely global MedTech company, and I welcome Richard whose expertise and passion will no doubt help continue guiding the Americas as we implement our new strategy,” White said. “Olympus’ new corporate strategy will streamline operations and define our focus and the actions needed to thrive in an ever-changing MedTech environment. Our simplified structure will enable regional leaders to efficiently implement a global business strategy allowing Olympus to innovate more quickly to serve physicians and their patients.”
(Top photo courtesy of Olympus Corporation of the Americas)