Düsseldorf / Bielefeld (dpa / lnw) - Richard Oetker received the Federal Cross of Merit for his commitment to crime victims. North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) honored the entrepreneur on Thursday at a ceremony in Düsseldorf. "Richard Oetker has been giving affected people a voice for decades when their own voice fails or when it is not enough," said Wüst, according to the NRW State Chancellery. Oetker encourages the victims and their relatives and shows ways to "overcome their fate and find their way back into their own lives."
Oetker (71) was the victim of a kidnapping in 1976 and was seriously injured. He has been involved in the victim protection organization Weisser Ring since 1988, most recently on the national board. He campaigned for the establishment of the Weisser Ring Foundation (2012). Richard Oetker is the son of the former Oetker CEO Rudolf-August Oetker. Until 2016 he managed the family-owned company based in Bielefeld, which generates billions in sales with pudding and baking powder as well as frozen pizzas.
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.
