Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2009: A Very Good Year
Ernst & Young crowns the entrepreneurs of the year BASEL, OCTOBER 23, 2009 – 400 prominent guests from the worlds of finance, politics and society attended the awards for the 2009 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition, held at the Gehry Auditorium on the Novartis Campus in Basel. The award is regarded as the highest of honors in the Swiss business sphere. The Entrepreneurs Of The Year® 2009 are:
Walter Fankhauser, Roth Gerüste AG, Gerlafingen
Prof. Andrea Pfeifer, AC Immune SA, Lausanne
Martin A. Ziehbrunner, Essemtec AG, Aesch
Aimé Pouly, Pouly Tradition SA, Satigny
The winners were selected from a field of 48 nominees. They now join the exclusive society of global Entrepreneur Of The Year® winners. Bruno Chiomento, Chief Executive Officer of Ernst & Young Switzerland, said: “Year after year our competition demonstrates the strength of commercial diversity and entrepreneurial spirit in our country, showcasing the future of our economic center. It underlines the value of continuing to advocate a business-friendly environment.” The 2009 competition includes a Master Entrepreneur title for lifelong achievement, awarded to Aimé Pouly of Pouly Tradition SA in Satigny.
Walter Fankhauser wins the Trade/Services category
Roth Gerüste AG, based in Gerlafingen, is a provider of temporary infrastructure catering to all needs at short notice, whether it be hundred-meter high scaffolding or a stage with seating for several thousand. Since Walter Fankhauser has been at the helm, the company has surpassed every other scaffolder in Switzerland. The jury was impressed by Walter Fankhauser as both a role model and benchmark in a particularly price-sensitive and tough sector. Despite enormous pressure on costs, Fankhauser invests a great deal of time and money in training his employees and in a health and safety practice that compromises on nothing and is aligned to international standards. And it pays off. Today Roth Gerüste AG is the undisputed No. 1 in Switzerland, supplying more than 1.5 million square meters of scaffolding at 17 locations, both at home and in neighboring countries.
Andrea Pfeifer prevails in the High-Tech/Life Sciences category
The winner of the High-Tech/Life Sciences category has great ambitions. Professor Andrea Pfeifer, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the biotechnology company AC Immune SA, based in Lausanne, aims to give the world a prescription for the effective treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. An international research team is using patent-protected technology to develop three treatment variants: an active vaccine, passive immunotherapy with an antibody, and an oral medicine. All three have the potential to heal the disease. If clinical studies taking place in the US and Europe are successful, at least one type of medication should be available within the next 5 years. The product portfolio of AC Immune SA will be extended to include medication to tackle Alzheimer’s in its preclinical development and an early diagnosis program. The jury was particularly impressed with the courage Andrea Pfeifer demonstrated in starting over in the middle of her life and committing herself to the entrepreneurial adventure.
Martin A. Ziehbrunner wins the Industry category
Martin A. Ziehbrunner, winner of the Industry category, was a finalist in last year’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition. Now, one year and one economic crisis later, he is right at the top. The jury distinguishes Martin A. Ziehbrunner as an entrepreneur who is steering his business through the downturn with modesty, unwavering customer orientation and a good sense of timing. Essemtec AG develops, produces and distributes machines and equipment for the manufacture of electronic components. As well as globally renowned standard products, Essemtec engineers also develop customer-specific equipment, making the company a leader in testing the technology of the future. Essemtec is also successful in developing equipment for solar cell metallization.
Aimé Pouly earns the title of Master Entrepreneur
The jury bestows the Master Entrepreneur award on individuals whose work goes beyond the scope of an Entrepreneur Of The Year® award. Aimé Pouly, master baker and inventor of the Pain Paillasse, is the fourth entrepreneur in twelve years to be honored with the title. The jury distinguishes Pouly as a man full of passion for his product and his profession. As early as ten years old, he was earning extra income for the family as an errand boy for a bakery. Today, his Aimé Pouly Group has more than 750 employees. The bakery empire runs 70 of its own stores in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, includes 300 licensed bakers in Switzerland and operates approximately 700 franchises in 10 European countries. The Aimé Pouly Group is currently active in 6 lines: frozen products, bread, Viennese specialties, patisserie, Paillasse bread and high-class catering. When he is not needed to try out new recipes, Aimé Pouly dedicates an increasing amount of his time to charitable projects. For example, he sponsors and supports a wholesale bakery and its affiliated school in Morocco, creating both urgently needed jobs and solid career prospects – all based on the daily bread.
A unique competition worldwide
Ernst & Young is the only organization in the world to operate an international award scheme of this kind, based on standard criteria. Each year, 10,000 entrepreneurs in 50 different countries compete for the coveted title of Entrepreneur of the Year®. In Switzerland, 10 of the 48 entrepreneurial nominees made it through to the 2009 finals, satisfying the demanding criteria for the competition to find the Entrepreneur Of The Year®. The criteria look at the entrepreneur as an individual, the active role that he or she plays within the company, above-average growth, degree of innovation, international character and social commitment. The candidates are assessed by a qualified, independent jury (see box). The selection process is complex: the members of the jury conduct intensive interviews with the finalists, visit the firms in person and inspect their annual financial statements.
In Switzerland, Entrepreneur Of The Year® is sponsored by Credit Suisse as the exclusive program partner. Other sponsors of the competition are Alllianz Suisse, Amrop Hever, AMAG, Capvis, the watch manufacturer Roger Dubuis and SWISS.
The Jury 2009
- Brigitte Breisacher, CEO and executive member of the board of directors, Alpnach Holding AG, Alpnach Dorf
- Corinne Fischer, CEO and executive member of the board of directors, Bataillard & Cie AG, Rothenburg
- Professor Beat Hotz-Hart, Vice-Director, Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology, Berne
- Susan Kish, entrepreneur, Zurich
- Markus Oberholzer, Entrepreneur of the Year® 2002, First Catering Group, Bassersdorf
- Pierre-Alain Schnegg, Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2004, Sage Pro-Concept SA, Sonceboz-Sombeval
- Professor Thierry Volery, Managing Director of the Swiss Research Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Gallen
From 9.00 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2009, you will be able to download photos of the winners:
Walter Fankhauser (JPEG)
Andrea Pfeifer (JPEG)
Martin A. Ziehbrunner (JPEG)
Aimé Pouly (JPEG)
Brief portrait of Ernst & Young
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