Dr. Ralf Köster was chosen as winner of the “industry” category for this year’s “Entrepreneur Of The Year” award, which honors distinguishing leadership excellence in mid-sized German companies. Since 2004, Köster has managed the global Bartec Group (Bad Mergentheim, Germany; www.bartec.de) as CEO.
In awarding the price, the jury particularly recognized Köster’s exemplary commitment, entrepreneurial vision, as well as the motivation to succeed as a team. This clearly marks a strong contribution to the innovation strength and competitiveness of the German business environment.
“I feel honored in receiving this distinction which I would like to share with the whole company — our employees, management teams and shareholders. Our joint effort was a key driver of the Bartec Group’s dynamic growth, its emergence as global player and its positioning as one of the most innovative mid-sized German companies,” Köster points out. “A clear focus on customer requirements and solution providing, consistent internationalization and efficient organizational structures in light of increasingly complex market environments were important preconditions for becoming a world market leader in explosion protection.”
The distinguished leaders received their awards at a gala event in the German Historical Museum, Berlin, at which prominent guests from the worlds of business, science, politics and media participated. An independent jury of experienced business and science personalities selected the finalists in a multi-stage selection process. The most important decision criteria included innovation strength, vision and potential for the future, sustainability of company development, responsibility for employees and broader society as well as personal engagement of the entrepreneur.