The Otto Group and the ECE congratulate their founder, Werner Otto, on his 100th birthday
Hamburg, 12 August 2009 – He is one of the few commercial pioneers of the Federal Republic of Germany still living today and is a representative of the "human market economy" – the entrepreneur and patron, Prof. Dr. h.c. Werner Otto, founder of the Otto Group and of the ECE, will celebrate his 100th birthday this Thursday, 13 August 2009, with his family in Berlin.
"Our father is not only one of the most important entrepreneurs of the post-war German period, but is also an impressive role model for many people – and most especially for us“, say Werner Otto’s sons, Dr. Michael Otto, chairman of the supervisory board of the Otto Group, and Alexander Otto, chairman of the ECE executive board.
The nucleus and core of Werner Otto’s business ventures is the mail-order business founded in Hamburg on 17 August 1949. In its 60 years of existence the company has developed into the largest mail-order group in the world. The Otto Group is now also the world’s number two in B2C online trade. In 1981 Dr. Michael Otto took over the management of the corporate group, in 2007 he became the Chairman of the supervisory board. "Our family entrepreneurship is fundamentally a creative process. It is essential to risk new ventures, to develop things with drive, to move forward. This is what characterised my father, and that is also what motivates me. You are an entrepreneur for life", says Dr. Michael Otto.
In 1965 Werner Otto founded another successful company, the ECE, which, in terms of finance and staff, he created completely independently from the Otto Group. The ECE is now the most important development, building project and management company for shopping centres in Europe. "I am proud to be able to continue my father’s lifetime’s work“, says Alexander Otto, who has been the Chairman of the ECE executive board since 2000. "The ECE’s innovative and sustainable shopping centres have given an important impetus to the vibrancy of cities and towns throughout Europe", continues Alexander Otto. Both companies – the Otto Group and the ECE – are now owned by the Otto family.