Prof. Klaus Fischer has been actively engaged in the DIY sector for over 40 years and has had a major influence during this time. He considers that his colleagues play a substantial role in this success. “They are the ones who ensure that our objectives are achieved. I therefore accept the award on behalf of all our employees “, states Prof. Fischer. “They are our greatest asset and the most important factor in the success of the fischer group – not plants or buildings.”

Roland Kamm, long-serving Chairman of the Board of Management for the cleaning appliance manufacturer, Kärcher, who gave the laudation at the award ceremony stated: “You can tell that the owner likes his employees and that he is liked. Klaus Fischer always serves his staff.

The Global DIY Lifetime Award is awarded by the international trade and manufacturers’ associations, EDRA and Fediyma. Their decision is based in the fact that, in over 40 years in the DIY sector, Prof. Fischer has played a decisive role in the development of his company and has transformed the sector.

In 1980 he took over management of the company group, which by 2015 had achieved a turnover of 711 million Euro. The medium-sized company that had previously concentrated its focus on Germany and on plastic fixings, developed under his leadership into a globally operating company. In the fixings engineering sector, fischer expanded to become one of the leading manufacturers – with an ever-increasing range of products.

Prof. Fischer has also consistently driven forward internationalisation through the founding and purchase of companies and the development of further production locations. Today fischer operates worldwide, with 44 national subsidiaries. He has broadened the commercial basis of the group through the addition of new business sectors, fischer automotive systems and fischer Consulting. In 2012 Prof. Fischer was awarded the DIY Lifetime Award by the BHB (the Trade Association for DIY, Construction and Gardening).

The presentation of the Global DIY Lifetime Award took place in the same location where the Nobel Prizes are awarded every year – in Stockholm City Hall, on the occasion of the Gala of the 4th Global DIY Summit. The event is the leading event for retailers and manufacturers in the DIY and gardening sectors worldwide. It is seen as a first-class information platform for current and future developments.

Prof. Fischer is only the fourth person to have been honoured with the Global DIY Lifetime Award. Previous recipients of this prize were the co-founder of Obi, Manfred Maus, Ray Colman, former CEO of Woodie´s DIY (Ireland), and Jim Inglis, former deputy CEO and responsible for strategic development at Home Depot (USA).