B Braun Melsungen has won the Public Private Award 2011 for the best annual report 2010. Of the 240 reports from German family and foundation-owned companies, B Braun's 140-page report with the title ‘Share knowledge, create value’ came out top.
Dr Annette Bellers, acting member of the Board of Directors and the person responsible for financing, tax and central services, and Dr Bernadette Tillmanns-Estorf, Corporate Communications Director, had the honour of receiving the award on behalf of B Braun on 15 November 2011 in Frankfurt am Main. ‘The annual report is a vital element for us in our communication with our partners in corporate finance, our suppliers and our customers - a connection that is often underestimated by family-owned businesses,’ explains Dr Beller.
’Clear language is a recurring challenge’
Unlisted limited companies are legally obliged to publish their annual accounts only to a limited extent. This is a big challenge for family-owned companies who decide to publish their business figures. ‘The top 10 companies were of the same standard as listed companies,’ says Andreas Martin, partner of the corporate communications agency Ergo Unternehmenskommunikation GmbH & Co. KG'and organiser of the prize.
After coming fourth in 2010 and winning the special prize for best language, B Braun's success in winning the Public Private Award 2011 is also a reward for the medical technology and pharmaceutical company's continuous efforts for transparency and the exchange of knowledge. Dr Tillmanns-Estorf explains: ‘We see the ability to present in-depth financial information in an aesthetic form using clear language as a recurring challenge. We are proud that the high quality of our annual report has been recognised by this Public Private Award.’
Top marks: 84.9%
The 240 annual reports of family and foundation-owned companies were assessed by an independent jury. The 56 best reports were short-listed for closer inspection. These were then assessed in detail against 90 criteria. In addition to ‘transparency’, aspects such as ‘statements in terms of content’, ‘presentation of the revenue figures’ and ‘depiction of the company strategy’ were important criteria for the judges. How aspects such as products, research and the company history were dealt with also affected the final score. In total, B. Braun Melsungen AG scored 84.9% of the total possible points for its annual report.
This year was the third time the Public Private Award was awarded. In addition to the communications agency Ergo, the prize organisers include the strategy consultants Roland Berger and the auditors PKF.
