Dr. Jelle Zijlstra was the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, President of the Central Bank of the Netherlands, and President of the Bank for International Settlements in Switzerland, with long-standing engagement with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in The Netherlands. In honour of this renowned economist, we recognize international leaders whose work champions economic national growth, generational-shifting innovation, global collaboration, or charitable commitments which dramatically improve the quality of life for society.
This year’s laureate, Helmut Oswald Maucher (1927) is the honorary chairman of Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company. He served as the CEO of Nestlé from June 1990 to June 1997. After graduating from high school, Maucher completed a commercial apprenticeship at the Nestlé factory in Eisenharz (Germany), and was then transferred to Nestlé in Frankfurt. Parallel to holding different positions within the Company, Maucher studied at Frankfurt University, where he graduated with a degree in business administration (“Diplom-Kaufmann”).
From 1964 until 1980, Maucher held different management positions within the Nestlé Company in Germany and, from 1975 on, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé-Gruppe Deutschland, Frankfurt. Finally, on 1st October, 1980, Maucher was transfer to Nestlé in Switzerland as Executive Vice President of Nestlé S.A., Vevey, and became Member of the Executive Committee.
In November 1981, Maucher was nominated as Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé S.A. and from 1st June, 1990 to 5th June, 1997 both as Chairman of the Board and CEO. As of 6th June, 1997, having relinquished the position of Chief Executive Officer, Maucher continued as Chairman of the Board of Nestlé S.A., Vevey Switzerland. On 25th May, 2000, Maucher relinquished the position of Chairman of the Board; he was named Honorary Chairman by the Board.
Board membership
- Member of the Board of Trustees, “Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies”
Honors and awards
- Fortune Magazine Gold Medal 1984
- Doctor honoris causa of the Autonomous University Guadalajara, Mexico June 1989
- Order “El Aguila Azteca” Mexico April 1993
- “Grosses Goldenes Ehrenzeichen mit dem Stern für Verdienste um die Republik Oesterreich” August 1993
Leadership Award for Corporate Statesmanship, International Institute for Management Development (IMD) October 1993 - IMD Maucher Nestlé Chair November 1993
- Appeal of Conscience Foundation Award, New York October 1995
- INTERNORGA Prize, Hamburg March 1996
- Doctor honoris causa, European Business School, Oestrich-Winkel, Germany February 1997
- Manager Magazin Business Hall of Fame May 1997
- “Das Grosse Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens mit Stern der Bundesrepublik Deutschland” September 1997
- Doctor honoris causa, Technical University, Munich March 1998
- Scopus Award, Hebrew University, Jerusalem May 1999
- “Das Oesterreichische Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst 1. Klasse” August 1999
- “Preis Soziale Marktwirtschaft 2004 “, Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung e.V. November 2004
- “Hanns Martin Schleyer-Preis 2013” for contributions to consolidating and strengthening the foundations of a community base on the principle of individual freedom, Stuttgart April 2013
- “EES Award 2012” in recognition of long-standing and exceptional engagement for the European economy and society by the European Economic Senate (EES), Ermatingen May 2013
Publications
- “Leadership in Action” (translated from German “Marketing ist Chefsache” into several languages)
- “Management Breviary” (translated from German “Management Brevier” into English)
- “Maucher and Malik on Management. Maxims of Entrepreneurial Behavior”, 2012 (translated from German “Maucher und Malik über Management – Maximen unternehmerischen Handelns” into English)
Source: Nestlé