Award for Andreas Kraler

For Andreas Kraler, who is the third generation to successfully manage the East Tyrolean family business, the award is confirmation of the company's success strategy. Every day, HELLA proves anew that tradition and innovation do not contradict each other. In order to further expand its position as a driver of innovation, Kraler founded, among other things, a state-of-the-art innovation lab dedicated to trend research and leading HELLA unerringly into the future with groundbreaking technologies. In addition, since the company was founded in 1959, 100 per cent of the profit has remained within the company and it has been fully reinvested in order to maintain and continuously increase the company's innovative and investment strength. This innovative strength, which is deeply entrenched in the company's DNA, ultimately convinced the jury.

”Innovation has always been a key driver of growth and competitiveness for companies. Designing creative business models is what makes excellent entrepreneurs these days, because times like these demand entrepreneurial excellence. They create veritable masterpieces of corporate art,” says Erich Lehner, Managing Partner Markets at EY Austria, explaining the main idea behind the award. For this reason, the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 was also organised under the motto “The Art of Entrepreneurship” and the award brought outstanding “entrepreneurial artists” to the fore.

“Being recognised at the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year Awards’ in an area that is particularly close to my heart, namely innovation, makes me particularly happy and very proud. I am also proud of the entire HELLA team, which ensures that we continue to develop as a company every day - sustainably, responsibly and innovatively,” continues Andreas Kraler.

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year business award has been presented annually for over 30 years in 60 countries to entrepreneurs for outstanding achievements. An independent and high-calibre jury of experts advises and decides on the winners in the categories “Innovation”, “Sustainability & Green tech”, “Trade & Services”, “Social Entrepreneur” and “Start Ups” The assessment criteria include growth, future potential, innovation, employee management and social responsibility.
 

Andreas Kraler and this year's other award winners join a long list of impressive and prominent personalities: In recent years, Peter Sticht (STIWA Automation), Christoph Hermann and Martin and Henry Murray (waterdrop), Paul Klanschek and Eric Demuth (Bitpanda), Philipp Maderthaner (Campaigning Bureau) and others have been honoured.