International. Professor Jörg Sennheiser was recognized with the Deutsche Gründerpreis 2015 award (German Founders Award), in the life achievement category for his career during the many years of service at the helm of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, as well as for his commitment to entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Since 2002, the joint initiative of stern magazine, savings banks Sparkassen, broadcaster ZDF and automaker Porsche have presented the award to people whose exemplary achievements have inspired the creation and development of innovative and sustainable business ideas. The awards ceremony is held every year at ZDF's studio in Berlin.
The Deutsche Gründerpreis jury particularly praised the successful expansion of a company that initially focused on the domestic market as an audio specialist but managed to evolve into a globally successful company, celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.
On the other hand, the jury's experts were impressed by the prudent succession plans and long-term support for start-ups that Jörg Sennheiser heads. The lifetime achievement award was "a big surprise," Jörg Sennheiser said. "It is a great honor for me to know that the search for the perfect sound that has accompanied me throughout my life, is being recognized with this award."
After completing his PhD at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zürich, Jörg Sennheiser planned to start his career at Siemens. But in 1976, at the age of 32, he decided to join the family business founded by his father Prof. Dr. Fritz Sennheiser, assuming the position of Technical Director – a matter of self-determination for the then engineer in training: "At Siemens, the steps to follow to form a career were very clearly specified and here I had more opportunities, " remember. In 1982, he took over completely from his father, the responsibility at the head of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG.
During his time as CEO of Sennheiser, Jörg Sennheiser modernized the structures of the company and introduced, among other things, job descriptions and strategic planning for the entire company. On the other hand, the company's financial accounting was professionalized in order to prepare Sennheiser for its entry into the global market.
One of its most profound and at the same time successful decisions was the carefully planned establishment of the company's own sales subsidiaries, starting with the opening of Sennheiser France – the first of now 18 sales subsidiaries in the world. "As a result, we are closer to our customers and less susceptible to crises," he explained.
Jörg Sennheiser, now 70, remained Chairman of the Supervisory Board until December 2014 in the company he had so decisively influenced for almost 40 years. Even today, he remains an active member of the supervisory board. He continues to lecture and represent the family business on important occasions and, for many years, has advised the young acoustic specialists of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich on business start-ups.
In addition, he supports projects related to all aspects of sound, such as those of the Pop Institute in Hannover, the University of Music, Theatre and Media and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Artists, he also participated in the modernization of the largest concert hall in Germany, the Kuppelsaal in Hannover.
