Award Ceremony for Christian Executives goes to Helmut Rosskopf and Martin Funck

Helmut Rosskopf and Martin Funck, joint members of the executive board for Rosskopf & Partner AG, were awarded the “Prize for Christian Executives 2011” at the Congress of Christian Executives which met under the motto "Enter Leadership with Values" on February 24, 2011 in Nuremberg.

This prize is awarded every two years to executives who "put Christian values into practice in economics, society, management or science in an exemplary manner." This year, the jury, which among others included high-profile pastors Prof. Martin Beck, Horst Marquardt and Prof. Dr. Joerg Knoblauch, decided, among others, to honour Helmut Rosskopf and Martin Funck.

An important criterion for the decision of the jury was, on the one hand, the development of Rosskopf & Partner AG from a small carpenter's workshop to a successful international company in high-quality interior design in only 25 years. On the other hand, the jury appreciated the active membership of both winners in the ecumenical community of the Jesus-Bruderschaft [Brotherhood of Jesus] – in Volkenroda, where Helmut Rosskopf has been in charge of reconstruction since 1994 at this attractive Cistercian monastery and in Hennersdorf (Saxony), where Martin Funck has centred his life with his family since 1991.

The outstanding achievements of these two Christian entrepreneurs include creating and safeguarding over 200 jobs through the Rosskopf & Partner AG in economically underdeveloped North Thuringia and in the Erzgebirge [Ore Mountains] of Saxony.

In January 2011, the Minister of Construction, Regional Development and Transportation in Thuringia, Germany, Christian Carius, only recently became interested in this uncommon company and visited the Rosskopf & Partner AG corporate headquarters in Obermehler to inform himself about the versatile activities of Rosskopf & Partner AG.

In his honorific speech for the awards presentation, Prof. Martin Beck praised the two businessmen as a European successful duo, because they are exemplary entrepreneurs and also unselfishly use their money and their talents outside their company for the common good.