Ekosem-Agrar AG: Stefan Dürr receives Dr. Friedrich Joseph Haass Prize for German-Russian Understanding
19 March 2019 Corporate News
Walldorf, 19 March 2019 – On Monday, Stefan Dürr, CEO of Ekosem-Agrar AG, was awarded the Dr. Friedrich Joseph Haass Prize of the German-Russian Forum for his commitment to German-Russian cooperation in the agricultural sector. Other prize-winners were Graciela Bruch, Chairwoman of the Board of the Globus Foundation, and Dr. Andreas Meyer-Landrut, Honorary Chairman and founding member of the German-Russian Forum.
The Dr. Friedrich Joseph Haass Prize is named after the German-Russian doctor from Bad-Münstereifel, who dedicated his life to prisoners and homeless people in Russia in the 19th century and became known as the “holy doctor of Moscow”. Since 1994, the German-Russian Forum has awarded the prize to honour personalities who have been particularly helpful in building bridges between Russia and Germany. Previous prize-winners included, among others, Mikhail Gorbachev, Dr. Manfred Stolpe and Dr. Egon Bahr.
In his laudatory speech, Matthias Platzeck, former Prime Minister of the State of Brandenburg and Chairman of the Board of the German-Russian Forum e.V., emphasized the energy with which Stefan Dürr is involved in economic as well as social areas. His success as an entrepreneur is closely linked to his constant efforts to build bridges in political and human spheres and to strengthen German-Russian relations through positive interactions.
Besides his social and political commitment, especially in rural Russia, Stefan Dürr attaches special importance to communication and cooperation between Germany and Russia. In 1994, with support from the Federal Agriculture Ministry, he initiated the “German-Russian Dialogue on Agricultural Policy” and served as its project coordinator for many years. For the past 25 years, the Dialogue has served as the connecting link in German-Russian cooperation in the agricultural sector. Besides this, the doors of his company have been open to interested parties for many years, with well over 1,000 people from Germany having visited the farms to date.
Stefan Dürr: “Joint economic projects and technology transfer always serve as bridges and provide impulses for good relations and cultural encounters. Our farms are not only examples of modern Russian agriculture but also meeting places for an interpersonal exchange at professional, cultural and political level. I am honoured to receive the Dr. Friedrich Joseph Haass Prize and see it as further motivation to continue my commitment to this exchange.”
About Ekosem-Agrar
Ekosem-Agrar AG, Walldorf, Germany, is the German holding company of Ekoniva Group, one of the largest Russian agricultural companies. With around 142,000 head of cattle (thereof approx. 72,200 dairy cows) and an average milk production of around 1,900 tonnes per day, the company is the largest milk producer in the country. The group has more than 500,000 hectares of farmland and rates among the leading seed producers in Russia. Stefan Duerr, founder and CEO of the company, has been active in Russian agriculture since the 80s and has played a decisive role in its modernisation over the past two decades. In 2009, he was awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit for his contribution within the German-Russian Agricultural and Political Dialogue Project. The corporate group has about 10,000 employees in eight regions in Russia and achieved a total output of EUR 246 million and an adjusted EBITDA of EUR 69.5 million in fiscal year 2017. For further information visit: http://www.ekosem-agrar.de/en
Contact
Adrian Schairer // T: +49 (0) 6227 3585 936 // E: ir@ekosem-agrar.de
Irina Makey // Ekosem-Agrar AG // Johann-Jakob-Astor-Str. 49 // 69190 Walldorf // T: +49 (0) 6227 3585 919 // E: irina.makey@ekosem-agrar.de // www.ekosem-agrar.de
Media / Investor Relations
Fabian Kirchmann, Anna-Lena Mayer // IR.on AG // T: +49 (0) 221 9140 970 // E: presse@ekosem-agrar.de