Rentschler Biopharma announced its Chairman of the Board, Prof. Dr. Nikolaus F. Rentschler, together with CEO Dr. Frank Mathias have received the "EY Entrepreneur of the Year" Award 2019 in the category Industry. The award, initiated by the audit and consulting firm Ernst & Young, was presented at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany on October 25, 2019 to 14 German entrepreneurs, chosen by an independent jury from among 38 companies in the finale.
Criteria such as growth, future potential, innovation, employee management and social responsibility were considered in the evaluation by the independent jury. Prof. Rentschler and Dr. Mathias, who received the award during a festive gala in Stuttgart, were lauded by the Chairwoman of the Management Board of Coroplast Fritz Müller GmbH & Co. KG, Natalie Mekelburger.
“Rentschler Biopharma is a family-owned business that has been successful for five generations,” said Prof. Rentschler. “When looking back on the strong development and growth we have experienced over the past few years, I believe a key factor is the exceptionally good cooperation between Frank Mathias and myself. Our strong relationship is characterized by complete openness and mutual trust. Combining our shared passion and entrepreneurial spirit, we put a lot of thought into the necessary next steps to advance our business and continue to be a leader in our field. The ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award is a terrific acknowledgement for us.”
“Entrepreneurs often receive all of the recognition for a successful company; however, it is the dedicated contribution of our employees – the work of many minds, many hands and many hours – that is crucial to our success,” Dr. Mathias said. “Rentschler Biopharma has an exceptional team that is doing an excellent job to meet the needs of our clients in bioprocess development and manufacturing all over the world. I am proud of our team and extremely pleased to accept the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award on behalf of everyone at the Company.”
Prof. Rentschler studied biology and graduated in 1998 from the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich. In 1999, he took over management of the family-owned business from his father, Dr. Friedrich E. Rentschler. In addition, he contributed to the further development of the University of Applied Sciences Biberach as Chair of the University until 2014. In his current role as honorary professor, he continues to make an important contribution to securing a new generation of biotechnologists. Prof. Rentschler made the decision in 2016 to supervise the Company as Chairman of the Supervisory Board and handed over management of Rentschler Biopharma to Dr. Mathias.
Dr. Mathias studied pharmacy and graduated in 1991 from the Paris VI University. He became CEO of Rentschler Biopharma SE in 2016. With ‘Strategy 2025’, he has developed a roadmap for the Company’s future and in early 2019 introduced a new era of internationalization with the purchase of a site in Milford, MA (USA) in the greater Boston area. In addition, Dr. Mathias has served as CEO of Rentschler Fill Solutions GmbH in Rankweil, Austria since 2019; this strategic alliance partner offers state-of-the art capabilities for the aseptic filling of (bio)pharmaceuticals.
In addition to Prof. Rentschler and Dr. Mathias as award winners in the Industry category and the German nomination for the “EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2019” Dirk Engelmann, Dr. Simon Haddadin, Philipp Zimmermann of Franka Emika GmbH from the Start-up category also Michael Durach of Develey GmbH (Consumer Goods/ Retail), Catherine von Fürstenberg-Dussmann, Wolf-Dieter Adlhoch of the Dussmann Stiftung & Co. KGaA (Service/ IT) and Andrea Haufe, Martin Laqua, Birte Hackenjos, Markus Reithwiesner of the Haufe Group (Digital Transformation) received awards this year. EY also granted an honorary award to Prof. Dr. Michael Otto, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group, for social engagement. The honorary award for a family-owned company went to Dr. Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller, Chairwoman of the Board of Trumpf GmbH + Co. KG.