A special award for sustainable growth: Heraeus took second place in the "Top 500 Award" presented by the German daily newspaper DIE WELT and the management consultancy Accenture. A high-calibre jury led by former Deutsche-Bahn-boss Rüdiger Grube and top manager Ann-Kristin Achleitner recognised the long-term growth and strategically far-sighted management of the Hanau-based technology group. The award was presented on 22 November at the "WELT Transformation Summit" in the Journalists' Club of the Axel Springer Tower in Berlin. The CEO and Chairman of the Board of Management of Heraeus Holding, Jan Rinnert, took part in the event virtually.
"The Heraeus Group is founded on a family pharmacy dating back to 1660 and has constantly adapted to changing trends, customer needs or technological advances since the company was founded. An essential part of our success is our ability to adapt to change and seize the opportunities it presents. The award recognises the team effort of our approximately 15,000 employees worldwide - we are jointly pleased with this success and take it as an incentive to further expand the commitment of our business units to research and development and to drive forward opportunities for the future," said Group CEO Jan Rinnert.
Jury member Rüdiger Grube stated in his laudation: "The Heraeus company is a very successful global market leader that has proven time and again not to be a hidden champion, but a true champion known far beyond Germany's borders."
The "Top 500 Award" was initiated jointly by WELT and Accenture in 2009 and is all about sustainable growth. The prerequisite for nomination is five annual financial statements with positive growth rates within the past six years. In selecting the three winners, the jury looks not only at growth development but also at innovative capacity, solid and value-creating business models. The ability to sustainably integrate acquired companies and successful globalisation strategies also play a significant role. Also important is a solid management that does not allow itself to be guided by short-term trends.