Best of European Business 2011 – Success in Asia
Best of European Business 2011
Tribute to the best German companies and managers in the ASEAN markets.
The sixth German Best of European Business Awards ceremony once more confirmed that BEB has become one of Berlin's not-to-be-missed networking occasions. Again, yesterday's event in the historic center of Berlin attracted a high-caliber crowd for celebrations and discussions in a glamorous setting with a decidedly Asian touch.
Among the guests at the ceremony and the preceding reception at the United States Embassy were Germany's Federal Minister of Transport Peter Ramsauer, former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and prominent figures from the German business elite.
All about Asia
The winners of this year's BEB awards all focus on growth markets "beyond BRIC". The ASEAN 5 – Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – are Asia's main growth engines alongside China and India, and Europeans are the largest group of foreign investors in these economic engines. One dollar in five has come from European investors in recent years, but only one in ten from Japan or the US.
"So the foundations have been laid," said Roland Berger CEO Martin Wittig during yesterday's Best of European Business Awards ceremony in Berlin. But, he added, the overall commitment of German companies in the ASEAN countries remained too timid. "We have been monitoring these markets and know that China and Japan are still well ahead there."
Exemplary business practices in Asia
This is why Roland Berger made the ASEAN economies the focus of this year's German Best of European Business Competition, whose motto was "Success in Asia". Four German companies and managers that exemplify successful business practices in the ASEAN 5 were honored at the glamorous awards ceremony in Berlin's "axica" forum.
In the corporate award category "Success in Asia's Emerging Markets", the accolade went to the logistics group DHL (best large corporation), represented by CEO Frank Appel, and to TÜV SÜD AG (best mid-sized company), with CEO Axel Stepken accepting the award.
The sixth German Best of European Business Awards ceremony once more confirmed that BEB has become one of Berlin's not-to-be-missed networking occasions. Again, yesterday's event in the historic center of Berlin attracted a high-caliber crowd for celebrations and discussions in a glamorous setting with a decidedly Asian touch.
Among the guests at the ceremony and the preceding reception at the United States Embassy were Germany's Federal Minister of Transport Peter Ramsauer, former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher and prominent figures from the German business elite.
All about Asia
The winners of this year's BEB awards all focus on growth markets "beyond BRIC". The ASEAN 5 – Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – are Asia's main growth engines alongside China and India, and Europeans are the largest group of foreign investors in these economic engines. One dollar in five has come from European investors in recent years, but only one in ten from Japan or the US.
"So the foundations have been laid," said Roland Berger CEO Martin Wittig during yesterday's Best of European Business Awards ceremony in Berlin. But, he added, the overall commitment of German companies in the ASEAN countries remained too timid. "We have been monitoring these markets and know that China and Japan are still well ahead there."
Exemplary business practices in Asia
This is why Roland Berger made the ASEAN economies the focus of this year's German Best of European Business Competition, whose motto was "Success in Asia". Four German companies and managers that exemplify successful business practices in the ASEAN 5 were honored at the glamorous awards ceremony in Berlin's "axica" forum.
In the corporate award category "Success in Asia's Emerging Markets", the accolade went to the logistics group DHL (best large corporation), represented by CEO Frank Appel, and to TÜV SÜD AG (best mid-sized company), with CEO Axel Stepken accepting the award.
- For DHL, the jury highlighted the company's strong presence in the ASEAN 5 economies as well as throughout Asia as a whole, where it now employs more than 55,000 people. DHL has become market leader in its core segments of express delivery and logistics. In the ASEAN 5 countries, it has around 20 subsidiaries that together employ nearly 10,000 staff. The company has already won a number of awards in the region itself that testify to its market leadership. The jury also pointed out that, in Asia in particular, DHL has made sustainability a top priority.
- TÜV SÜD AG: Here, the jury was particularly impressed by the company's extremely rapid development and broad presence in Asia. TÜV SÜD didn't venture into the Asian market until 1997 but now operates in all the ASEAN 5 countries and throughout the rest of the region. Its roughly 4,000 employees are based in 14 different Asian countries. Key to this success has been a clever M&A strategy for market entry and a rigorous approach to strengthening its market position in the ASEAN economies. The jury also noted that the company had diversified intelligently. It now offers special services in the consumer sector that are geared to the industrial structure of Southeast Asia.
- Jochen Zaumseil took the award for best manager in the "Success in Asia" category. Over the past seven years of Zaumseil's leadership, L'Oréal has doubled its sales in Asia – growing an average of 15% per year to reach the current sales figure of more than EUR 3 billion. In China alone, he oversaw earnings of more than EUR 1 billion last year. Zaumseil's success is, above all, based on pushing for a long-term and consistent alignment with the specific needs of Asian consumers. The jury praised Jochen Zaumseil as a shining example of a successful European management style.
- Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche received the manager award in the "Growth Strategy in Asia" category. The jury pointed out that Zetsche had put Daimler's Asian business on a completely new footing, thanks to a rigorous and strategic realignment. In Asia, the company has now been growing significantly faster than the market as a whole. Thus, Mercedes-Benz achieved 115% growth in China, recording the fastest growth among the luxury brands. The jury argued that thanks to a sound strategy, this strong growth record had not been achieved at the expense of quality and profitability.
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