Hans Peter Stihl’s 75th birthday

Hans Peter Stihl will turn 75 on April 18, 2007. He is general partner and chairman of the advisory board of STIHL Holding AG & Co. KG as well as chairman of the supervisory board of STIHL AG. From 1973 to 2002 he was chairman of the board of the STIHL founding company ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG, headquartered in Waiblingen near Stuttgart. On July 1, 2002 Stihl and his family retired from the board of STIHL AG and handed over day-to-day operations to a management team without any Stihl family members . But strategic decisions require the approval of the advisory board in this company that still preserves its family business roots.

Globalisation of the group of companies
Hans Peter Stihl built the business into an internationally structured group of companies. Besides the seven plants in Germany which form the founding company, today the STIHL Group has five manufacturing locations abroad (in Brazil, the United States, Switzerland, China and Austria). By establishing marketing subsidiaries around the world, distribution in thirty other important export markets is also under STIHL control. The product line has been systematically expanded over the past two decades. Stihl keeps product quality his first priority and made the words “Made by STIHL” stand for quality around the world. To maintain that quality while keeping deliveries and production on schedule, he methodically developed a vertical range of manufacture so that most of the parts with high technological demands are manufactured inhouse. Today, STIHL employs over 9,000 personnel and has a turnover of about two billion euro. In 1985, Stihl introduced a stock option plan for employees of the founding company.

A long history of public service
Hans Peter Stihl has represented the Republic of Singapore as Honorary Consul for the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland Palatinate and Saarland since September, 2002 and as Honorary Consul-General since August, 2004. He was president of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHT) from March, 1988 to February, 2001. He is an avid proponent of the social market economy as advocated by former chancellor Ludwig Erhard. For Stihl, regulatory policy should reflect economic and political practice. Stihl fought for the removal of subsidies, the restriction of governmental influence, a reform of the taxation and social security systems as well as the deregulation of many government activities. During his DIHT presidency, Stihl considerably expanded the network of bilateral chambers in other countries and, after German reunification, was highly committed to establishing the chambers of industry and commerce in eastern Germany.

Since he resigned his offices in the chamber organisation in February, 2001, Stihl has been honorary president of both the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) and the Stuttgart Region Chamber of Industry and Commerce, of which he was president from 1989 until 2001. He is also chairman of the Council of Elders at the DIHK. Even prior to taking up these honorary posts in the chamber organisation, Stihl's interest in industrial relations saw him serve in several organisations, committees and trade associations. He was on the board of the Federation of the Baden-Württemberg Metal Industry (VMI) from 1973 to 1988 and was its president for the last 8 years of that period. In a related capacity, he was also vice-president of the General Federation of the Metal Industry Employers' Associations at the same time. In his capacity as VMI president he headed numerous metal industry wage negotiations with the engineering union.

Extensive supervisory and advisory activities
In addition to his commitment to public service, Hans Peter Stihl has been active in many supervisory and advisory capacities. He was on the supervisory board of IBM Deutschland GmbH from 1988 to 1998. Stihl was a partner of Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG in Stuttgart from June 1995 to mid-2006. He was on the supervisory board of Robert Bosch GmbH from April 1998 to the end of June 2006. Stihl was a member of the supervisory board of Südwestbank AG in Stuttgart from 1978 to 1995, and on the supervisory board of IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG, Düsseldorf from 1987 to 2002. He was second vice-chairman of the administrative board of the Landesgirokasse in Stuttgart from 1995 to 1997, after being chairman of its curatorium for 8 years. Stihl has been a member of the advisory board of Landesbank Baden-Württemberg since 1999. He sat on the general advisory board of the Allianz Insurance companies in Munich for 16 years from 1988 to 2003 and was a member of the general advisory circle of the Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt am Main from May 1988 to June 2003.

A wealth of awards and distinctions
Stihl is a freeman of the town of Waiblingen (1997), the municipality of Prüm-Weinsheim (2001) and the town of Tengen (2002). In 1982, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany awarded him the 1st Class Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, he received the Grand Order of Merit in 1992 and Grand Order of Merit with Star in 2002. Stihl is a bearer of the Grand Gold Medal of Honour with Star of the Republic of Austria and the Marienland Medal Second Class of the Republic of Estonia. In 1995 he was awarded the Baden-Württemberg Industry Medal and in 2001 the Order of Merit and, also in 2001, the Staufer Medal in Gold for the company, and the Order or Merit of Rhineland Palatinate in 1987. The national association of craftsmen awarded Stihl its Craftsmen Medal in Gold in 2001. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce presented him with the Mercury Prize in 1997, the Stuttgart Regional Forum awarded him the "Regionaut" prize in 2001 (renamed Hans Peter Stihl Prize in 2002) for his service to the Stuttgart region. In 2003 he received the Hanns Martin Schleyer prize for his work in strengthening and promoting the principles of a free community. In 2005 Hans Peter Stihl was in-ducted into Manager Magazine’s “Hall of Fame”.

 

Company portrait:
The STIHL Group develops, manufactures and distributes power tools for farming, forestry and the construction industry. The garden power tool range from VIKING rounds out the product line. The products are generally distributed by authorized dealers including 32 marketing subsidiaries, more than 120 importers and about 35,000 dealers in over 160 countries. STIHL has been the world’s top-selling chainsaw brand since 1971.

Voucher copy requested.

Caption:

Hans Peter Stihl, general partner and chairman of the advisory board of STIHL Holding AG & Co. KG as well as chairman of the supervisory board of STIHL AG.

Photograph: STIHL (Reprint free of charge / voucher copy requested)