The award recipient is selected by an Advisory Board, which is made up of individuals from science, industry, politics, and the press. Current board members include:
Stefan Fritz is a founder, entrepreneur, and investor. Since 2020, he has been focusing on impact investing and impact entrepreneurship, i.e. aligning business processes with a measurable positive social and environmental impact.
Sibylle Keupen was elected Lord Mayor of the City of Aachen on September 27, 2020. In her term of office, one of her priorities will be to engage in an open dialogue with citizens and involve them in creating an agenda for the development of the city.
Chair of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich
Prof. Astrid Lambrecht has been Chair of the Board of Directors of Forschungszentrum Jülich (member of the Helmholtz Association) since 2023. She studied physics at the University of Essen (now Duisburg-Essen) and Imperial College in London before completing her doctorate in quantum physics at the Université Pierre & Marie Curie (now Sorbonne University, Paris), where she also habilitated in physics in 2002.
Stefanie Peters is an executive managing partner at NEUMAN & ESSER Holding, a midsized family business and leader in technology in the production of compressors.
Former Member of the Landtag, Green Party Member of the NRW State Parliament, Initiator of the Award
Reiner Priggen, born in 1953, studied Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen. He has been a member of the Green Party (Die Grünen) since 1984. Between 1994 and 2000, he was Spokesperson for the NRW State Chapter of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen.
Ulrich Rüdiger has held the position of rector of RWTH Aachen University since 2018. Born in Schöningen, a small town in Lower Saxony, Rüdiger studied Physics at RWTH, where he also wrote his doctoral thesis and habilitation. He was subsequently appointed professor for experimental physics at the University of Konstanz in 2002.
Dr. Markus Steilemann has been CEO and Chairman of the Board of Management at Covestro since June 2018. His area of responsibility includes central functions such as strategy, sustainability, human resources and communication.
Chairman of the Board of Management of CECONOMY AG
Dr. Karsten Wildberger, born on September 5, 1969, in Gießen, Germany, studied physics at TU Munich and at RWTH Aachen University. He completed his doctorate in theoretical physics in Aachen as a research assistant at Forschungszentrum Jülich. He also obtained an MBA from the INSEAD Business School in Fontainebleau, France.
