The annual Chairman's Award recognizes employees who have been with Barry Callebaut for a number of years and demonstrated outstanding performance at work, as well as social commitment in their local communities.
Honoring outstanding performance and community service
The annual Chairman's Award recognizes employees who have been with Barry Callebaut for a number of years and have demonstrated outstanding performance at work, as well as a strong social commitment in their local communities. They are individuals who embody the Barry Callebaut values of customer focus, passion, entrepreneurship, team spirit and integrity.
The Chairman’s Award was inaugurated in 1995 by Klaus Jacobs, the former Chairman of Jacobs Holding AG and founder of Barry Callebaut. Since then, the Chairman’s Award has been given to select number of employees each year.
In 2007 thirteen Barry Callebaut employees from eight countries received the award and were invited together with their spouses or partners to come to Switzerland to be given the award by the CEO Patrick De Maeseneire, Chairman Andreas Jacobs and Vice Chairman Andreas Schmid.
Winners of the Chairman’s Award 2007
Back, from left to right: Christian Behnke, Patrick De Maeseneire (CEO), Andreas Jacobs (Chairman), Thierry Steenhaut, Steeve Fortier, Greg Tilghman, Paul Hoff, Andreas Schmid (Vice Chairman).
Front, from left to right: Kathryn Fortune, Renate Grall, Jean-Claude Sie, Marta Miloszewska-Sobczak, Marleen Ruyssinck, Thomas Brade, Reinhard Stüber, Gianluigi D’Auria
Christian Behnke
Substitute Stock Department
Norderstedt, Germany – with the company since 1981
Christian Behnke is the trainer of a local soccer club and is responsible for the youth activities in the club. He has worked to arrange many charity events with local politicians and well-known clubs in the area. He has been with the company over 25 years and uses his experience to train and support the other employees in his department.
Thomas Brade
Storehouse Employee
Norderstedt, Germany – with the company since 1989
Every year Thomas Brade and a friend coordinate a charity event for people with disabilities in the Norderstedt area. They rent a large hall and get well-known musicians to participate to make sure that everyone has a wonderful time for this important cause. He also organizes a company soccer team that competes against other companies in the Norderstedt and Hamburg area.
Gianluigi D’Auria
Factory Employee
Dübendorf, Switzerland – with the company since 1993
Gianluigi D’Auria takes an active role in his church. After two years of classes, he began to work with a youth group organizing Friday evening meetings for young people to discuss topics such as AIDS, love and the protection of the environment. Through his church, he and a group of volunteers collect goods for the poor in Romania. Each year they fill a number of big trucks filled with food, construction material, clothing, machinery and furniture.
Steeve Fortier
Security Agent
Louviers, France – with the company since 2000
Steeve Fortier comes from a family of firemen and has been a volunteer fireman since he was 16 years old. He deeply enjoys having the opportunity to help others that this work gives him. At Barry Callebaut, he has been working in the production department for many years, but recently filled in as a security agent for nearly a year and learned the new responsibilities very quickly.
Kathryn Fortune
Manager Product Life Cycle and Master Data
Chattanooga, USA – with the company since 1998
Kathryn Fortune regularly collects and delivers clothing and children’s toys to a local battered women’s & children’s shelter, a homeless shelter and two local children’s homes. She also volunteers with the Special Olympics twice each year and supported a local fishing outing for handicapped children. And each year she finds time to assist at the “Head Injury Information Booth for Siskin Hospital” at the annual County Fair and with the annual fundraiser for St Jude’s Children Hospital.
Renate Grall
Shift Supervisor
Saalfeld, Germany – with the company since 1968
Renate Grall has been with the company for nearly 40 years. The knowledge and experience she has gained over the years is a benefit to the entire department and allows her to fill in when needed if the foreman is away. She is a true team player and deeply respected by all her co-workers. For many years she has been a member of the Saalfeld Shooting Association and is actively involved with their many activities during the year.
Paul Hoff
Moulding Manager
Banbury, United Kingdom – with the company since 1993
Paul Hoff demonstrates a consistent commitment to constantly improving services to our customers and suppliers. He has brought a number of excellent improvements to the whole moulding area, while increasing output and coordinating new initiatives. In his free time, Paul Hoff is involved with local charities dedicated to fighting cancer and recently participated in a 65-mile bike ride along with two colleagues to support the Anthony Nolan Trust.
Marta Miloszewska-Sobczak
Team Sales Assistant
Lódz, Poland – with the company since 2004
Marta Miloszewska-Sobczak is actively involved with the “Uwolnienie” foundation in Lódz. The foundation has programs to help individuals to find work, who have been chronically unemployed for a long time or due to alcohol abuse. Working together with her husband, who is a therapist, she helps job seekers write CVs and job applications.
Marleen Ruyssinck
Company Nurse
Wieze, Belgium – with the company since 1991
Marleen Ruyssinck is greatly involved with schools in her area and the local Red Cross. For 14 years she has been a member of a parent committee for her local school and recently became chairman of a committee involved with a two additional partner schools. For 15 years she has been an instructor with the Red Cross.
Jean-Claude Sie
Microbiological Laboratory Technician
Douala, Cameroon – with the company since 1985
Jean-Claude Sie has been with the company over 20 years. During this time he has consistently taken on more responsibilities. Jean-Claude Sie is very involved in his church, working with the community on its various activities.
Thierry Steenhaut
Factory Employee
Wieze, Belgium – with the company since 2003
Thierry Steenhaut is a member of the Barry Callebaut fire brigade and on the alumni board of his former school in Opwijk. Since 2003 he has been a member of the local Red Cross taking many courses and putting his knowledge to work providing first aid services at various public events in the area. In 2006 he volunteered over 300 hours at 70 separate events making sure first aid was available.
Reinhard Stüber
Maintenance Technician
Berlin, Germany – with the company since 1978
Reinhard Stüber is a volunteer with the local sports association and as technical director he organizes the ”Kids’ Cup“ event several times a year. This is an opportunity for children to compete in a fair and equitable competition whether they are members of a local club or not. He has also played a key role in encouraging and coordinating the company’s participation in the yearly “Berliner Firmenlauf.” Last year he motivated 17 other of his fellow employees to join him in the race. He has also participated in Barry Callebaut’s Winning Together Team.
Greg Tilghman
Maintenance Manager
Pennsauken, USA – with the company since 2003
Greg Tilghman enjoys working with middle school and high school aged young people. He is involved with the national engineering organization in the US, a non-profit organization with over 20,000 members. The organization focuses on increasing the number of culturally responsible engineers and scientists who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact their communities. He is the treasurer of the local alumni chapter. Through this organization he mentors a number of students and uses his own story to help encourage them to stay focused on their education.
