AUTOBEST Hall of Fame 2017 - Dr.Wolfgang Porsche

Well now the time has come to address a man who has truly made a name for himself not only in Salzburg but also around the world. Somebody who's shown through their competence, creativity, and innovation that he is worthy to become part of the Otto best Hall of Fame. And somebody besides you, Mr. Mozart, but besides me in my own town. This man is also from Salzburg and like you has Wolfgang as his first name. Obviously this man must be very special, someone who exceeds all expectations, someone who inspires, hires, and never retires. Please applaud Mr. Wolfgang Porsche. Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, shareholder and chairman of the Supervisory Board of Porsche Automobil Holding SE and of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, will celebrate his 75th birthday on May 10, 2008. At Otto best we have decided to celebrate his birthday in advance by welcoming him into our Auto Best Hall of Fame. This is the global unique gallery dedicated to the icons of the automotive world. Ladies and gentlemen, Wolfgang Porsche was born in Stuttgart on May 10, 1943 as the youngest son of Dorothea and Ferry Porsche. His grandfather was the brilliant automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche. Wolfgang spent the first six and a half years of his life at the Schüttgut in Salzburg. He obtained his Abitur in 1965 and passed his journeyman examination as a metalworker. He earned a degree in business administration and a doctorate in international business. He started as an independent entrepreneur, became managing director of John Moto and general importer of Yamaha motorbikes in Austria. He returned to Germany in 1976 and worked for Daimler-Benz in Stuttgart. Upon the death of his father Ferry in 1998, he was selected as spokesperson of the entire Porsche family. Once he joined the family business, Dr. Porsche dedicated his entire professional energy to the automotive world. He has been instrumental in the development of Porsche AG and later the Volkswagen Group. Dr. Porsche is always humble, proactive, building bridges, trusting competent people, looking for fair solutions, and building value for his family and over 630,000 employees. He became an advocate for the Volkswagen transformation into a world-leading EV company. As a private person, Dr. Porsche lives in Salzburg and at the Schüttgut, where he operates an Alpine organic farm with 200 dairy cows. He is an ardent hunter and close to nature. His enthusiasm for sports cars has been the focus of his life. He has a private collection of rare Porsche vehicles which he drives regularly. People like you are becoming harder to come by in our industry. People who don't think of themselves as important but rather the matter at hand, who look behind the facade and make the right decision without wavering, who stand up for their convictions, and who even at 75 have kept their boyish mischievous charm. You have followed your inner compass your entire life, always able to foresee the future and fight for the team. You stand rock-solid by your roots and the tasks from your grandfather and father. This commitment to your roots means being loyal to your companions and true to yourself. You never wanted to be anyone else other than the one and only Wolfgang Porsche.