Miller Magazine Issue: 131 November 2020

67 TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM MILLER / November 2020 The founder and managing partner of the Stern-Wywi- ol Gruppe Volkmar Wywiol has an extraordinary success story. He is an exemplary entrepreneur in motivation, lead- ership and inspiration. He succeeded in transforming the Hamburg-based company he founded 40 years ago into a global market for functional ingredients for food and ani- mal nutrition. Speaking to Miller Magazine, Wywiol draws attention to the entrepreneurial spirit behind his success. “If you have the “entrepreneur gene” you want to try it out yourself one day. 40 years ago I launched the start-up Sternchemie, without money but with big visions for the future. Roll up your sleeves and get to it!” In September 2020, his entrepreneurial character was crowned with the “Hamburg Founders Award". Volkmar Wywiol, a doyen of the food industry, shared his more than 40 years of experience, principles that brought success, new projects and his predictions about the future of the industry. Mr. Wywiol, I would like to thank you for accepting our interview request. It is an honor for me to inter- view a doyen like you... First of all, could you please provide us with some brief background information on Stern-Wywiol Gruppe? In the Hamburg-based Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, twelve in- dependent specialist firms develop, produce and distribute ingredients and additives that simplify and enhance the production of foods and animal feed. Each individual firm has specific competence of its own – in baked goods, dairy products, deli foods, meat, fish, chocolate, flavourings, leci- thin, enzymes or vitamins. In many branches of the food in- dustry, the outstanding competence of these specialist units has made them leading worldwide suppliers in their fields. The enterprise consisting of 12 specialist firms in Germany, 17 affiliates abroad and a total staff of 1,650 achieves an annual turnover of more than half a billion EUR. You started your business life with a small company in 1980, and your business has become a global player in the market for functional ingredients for food and animal nutrition. What triggered your ambition for this inspiring success journey? I worked for 25 years as an employee in the lecithin busi- ness, and worked my way up from apprentice to Managing Director. If you have the “entrepreneur gene” you want to try it out yourself one day. 40 years ago I launched the start-up Sternchemie, without money but with big visions for the future. Roll up your sleeves and get to it! Today, the start-up generation often has their eye more on the dollar signs and on selling the company. In September, you received the Hamburg Founders Award in recognition of your life’s work. This award, highly coveted in North Germany’s business communi- ty, is conferred for exceptional entrepreneurial achieve- ments. You created a global company from a small fam- ily business. Could you share your thoughts with us? The Company is now managed in the second generation by the founder’s son Torsten Wywiol since 10 years.