Together with investment company LGT and business magazine “Manager Magazin”, the auditing and consulting firm EY has been selecting Germany’s best owner-managed companies for 27 years and presenting the “Entrepreneur of the Year Award” in the categories “Family Enterprise”, “Innovation”, “Sustainability” and “Young Company”. Nominees for the “Innovation” category, Sunnanväder and CEO Büchert, who first joined the company in 2014, have grown Bentley to what now comprises more than 400 employees and sales in the order of EUR 68.7 million (FY 2022).

The final selection of award winners is made by a first-class jury of entrepreneurs and business experts. The evaluation focuses on assessing a company’s entrepreneurial activities and innovative strength, as well as the personal commitment of the nominee. A special emphasis is placed on the sustainability of the business model, employee involvement and leadership, and social responsibility, which are becoming increasingly important success factors for companies.

Lars Sunnanväder is delighted to have reached the final round, saying: “The fact that we count among the few finalists for this prestigious award is already a great honor. I must say that I am proud of where we are today with Bentley and the evolution of its products, alongside the importance the company has gained as an employer – even beyond our home region! This has only been made possible with a strong and passionate team. And we still have a lot planned ahead,” says the 83-year-old multi-successful founder, who has founded twelve other medical technology companies in addition to Bentley during his entrepreneurial career.

“In such a company with such strong growth momentum, it is especially important to stand out as a brand in all areas, to keep attracting the right talent and to successfully bring people and the company’s growth together at the Hechingen location. Our culture of innovation and teamwork is the key to our secret to success. We have also managed to retain our start-up culture. It is our highly motivated employees, who feel at home in our very special “Bentley Style” corporate culture and have made us so successful internationally. This is why all of our employees should also have the opportunity to participate in our planned IPO,” says CEO and marketing expert Sebastian Büchert, explaining his recipe for success.

Only twenty companies made it to the competition finals this year, with around five in the category of “Innovation”. The winners are scheduled to be announced on November 9, 2023. The awards ceremony traditionally takes place at the highly acclaimed “Entrepreneur of the Year Award Night” held at the venue Motorwerk in Berlin. The award is presented by TV journalist and news anchor Judith Rakers with laudator Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, MdL, Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Economic Affairs.