Berlin/Bielefeld (dpa/lnw) - Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier awarded the Federal Cross of Merit to August Oetker for his decades of commitment to social affairs, culture and vocational training. In doing so, Steinmeier acknowledged, among other things, the 78-year-old's commitment to the private University of Witten/Herdecke, the Luther Circle of Friends for the Reformation anniversary year 2017, the personal and financial support of the SOS Children's Villages and the Annette von Droste zu Hülshoff Foundation.
Oetker (78) managed the Oetker Group based in Bielefeld from 1981 to 2009. He is the son of the former Oetker CEO Rudolf-August Oetker. Until 2017, he was chairman of the advisory board, which is a kind of supervisory board for the family-owned company, which makes billions in sales of custard powder, baking powder and frozen pizza. When August Oetker was manager, the Hamburg Süd shipping company was still part of the company.
The Federal Order of Merit is the highest recognition in the Federal Republic of Germany and is awarded in eight levels for services to the common good. According to an Oetker spokesman, the award was not handed over personally due to time constraints.
