Professor Hans Georg Näder - International Lifetime Achievement Award
9/19/13
For more than 90 years the name Otto Bock has symbolized a commitment to innovation
and entrepreneurial success along with a commitment to provide persons with physical
disabilities access to the highest level of rehabilitation possible in terms of their mobility and
independence.
Soon after its founding, the company moved from Berlin to the city of Koenigsee in what
would later become East Germany. Following World War II, the company was expropriated
without compensation and Otto Bock and his family fled to the western zone and was forced
to start over. With the help and support of customers and under the increased guidance and
vision of his son-in-law, Dr. Max Näder, the company was re-established and after an
incredibly difficult period of time started once again to flourish.
Dr. Näder eventually traveled to the U.S. in the late 1950’s (you can imagine how difficult
this must have been for a German businessman following WWII) and there he established
the first branch office outside Germany in Minneapolis, MN. In 1990, at the very young age
of 28, Professor Hans Georg Näder, our honoree today, assumed the leadership role of the
company and since then sought to aggressively grow the company. And grow the company
he did: with revenues of approximately $1.3bn and over 7,000 employees working together
in distribution and service companies now operating in 50 countries all over the world.
This success is once again due to the strong support received from customers all over the
world. Developing partnerships; exploring and developing new technologies; investing in
research including support for the Max Näder Research Laboratory which he established in
2009 in partnership with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and taking risks with new
technologies are all hallmarks of the company’s commitment to the world of Prosthetics,
Orthotics, Mobility Solutions, Neurorehabilitation and Medical Care.
One technology in particular that will forever be associated directly with Hans Georg is the CLeg. The C-Leg has become synonymous with the term “microprocessor controlled knee”.
The C-Leg was first “discovered” by Hans Georg at the ISPO meeting in Chicago in 1993 on an
exhibit table of a young scientist from the University of Alberta. Hans Georg immediately
recognized the potential and quickly struck a deal to help develop the product into eventual
production. Of course there are many other products that the company has developed since
then under his guidance and direction: the next generation of microprocessor controlled
knee joints, Genium and X3; the Orthotronic Mobility System aka the C-Brace; the
Michelangelo hand; and countless efforts in the complex rehab world of seating and mobility
systems and the promising new field of Neurorehabilitation.
Among the many accomplishments we recognize today is the vision Hans Georg had toward
the Paralympic Games. His support of the Games is part of an effort that strives to place
people with disabilities at the center of society and to show them as great athletes and role
models, demonstrating that sports and performance can restore their confidence about life.
Under Hans Georg’s leadership, Ottobock has become a premier sponsor and the designated
service provider of the Paralympic Games now for more than 25 years.
In addition to the commitment the company makes toward helping individuals overcome the
limitations placed on them because of their physical disabilities, Hans Georg Näder joins us
with a plethora of prior awards and recognitions ranging from his environmental work to his
commitment to entrepreneurship and the recognition Ottobock has received as a “Top
Family Business of the Year” in 2012. To be highly regarded in your home base is always a
special honor which he received in 2011 when being named as an honorary citizen of his
home town of Duderstadt, Germany.
One of the philanthropic activities Hans Georg is intimately involved in truly stands out for
him personally: The Tabaluga House. The Tabaluga is a fictional story about a small green
dragon that has become a media franchise in Germany during the last three decades. The
Tabaluga was created by the German Rock musician, Peter Maffey (Think the Bruce
Springsteen of Germany!) and together with Hans Georg, they have established the Tabaluga
House in Duderstadt. As mentioned earlier, Duderstadt is the home of Prof. Näder and his
two lovely daughters, Julia and Georgia, and it is, of course, where the company
headquarters are located. Hans Georg has personally dedicated himself to helping young
children and especially teenagers that are dealing with the many emotional challenges that
growing up in an increasingly complex world can have for them. Support for the Tabaluga
House continues to grow and in fact Hans Georg and Peter Maffey just celebrated another
big event in Duderstadt for the Tabaluga House just a few weeks ago.
Hans Georg has served and continues to serve on multiple for-profit and non-profit Boards
and he also frequently lectures at business and technical schools throughout Germany. In
2005, he was appointed an honorary professorship from the School of Applied Sciences at
Gottingen University. In his spare time, Hans Georg’s love of art has grown exponentially
during the last decade and he has built a beautiful art studio at this private residence which
he frequently opens to the general public in an effort to share his collection and his passion.
The Lifetime Achievement Award embodies the spirit of service, leadership and
accomplishment marked by the many contributions he’s made to the world of orthotics and
prosthetics. And with this award also goes our heartfelt thanks and appreciation. It is with
great honor and personal pleasure that I would like to introduce to you my friend, my
colleague, my boss and the inaugural 2013 AOPA World Congress International Lifetime
Achievement Award Winner: Professor Hans Georg Näder.