BMW Group recognises employee commitment / Ceremony honours four employees for volunteer work

Munich. The BMW Group presented three of its employees with the BMW Group Award for Social Commitment in recognition of their outstanding voluntary activities at a ceremony at BMW Welt. 168 applications were submitted from 14 countries this year – more than in any previous year. The winners, who were chosen by a jury made up of company representatives, each received an endowment of 5,000 euros, which will directly benefit their service projects. Projects were recognised for “commitment across borders”, “commitment to integration” and “commitment in one’s own country”. The Vera and Volker Doppelfeld Foundation also presented a special award honouring the commitment of a young associate.

Ilka Horstmeier, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for Human Resources and patron of the award, was impressed by the employees’ commitment: “I am proud of our associates who really want to change something through personal commitment in their free time. For me, they are role models – not just within our company, but also beyond it. We honour social responsibility as part of who we are as the BMW Group: We love what you do!”

Many of the BMW Group’s more than 134,000 employees worldwide volunteer with charitable and social projects in their free time and take responsibility. The BMW Group has paid tribute to these contributions to the social community since 2011 with the “BMW Award for Social Commitment”. This year, projects from South Africa, Peru and Germany were recognised – from sustainable teaching materials to carts for disabled children to the fight against child trafficking and setting up a hospital. The award-winners in detail:

Belen Vasquez-Torres (39), who joined the BMW Group in 2015, is a Development module leader. In her free time, she established a hospital project in Peru, which she now leads. She received the award for “commitment across borders” for her efforts to help children with leukaemia in Trujillo get medical care. The endowment will help fund a psychologist and a clinic clown for one year.

Kurt Lada (51) has been a foreman at BMW Group Plant Regensburg since 1989 and volunteers with Motorsportclub Hemau e.V. as a youth trainer as part of a karting project focused on inclusion. He received the BMW Group Award for “commitment to integration”. This will enable a specially adapted kart to be built, so young people who have difficulty walking can enjoy karting alongside able-bodied children.

Shaylen*, who has worked for the BMW Group in South Africa since 2013, was presented with the BMW Group Award for “commitment in one's own country”. His efforts protect girls in South Africa from sexual assault and child trafficking. Shaylen aims to get children off the streets and ensures they get medical care, among other help – risking his life to do so. The endowment will be invested in housing, food and medical care.

The Vera and Volker Doppelfeld Foundation presented its special award for committed young associates to Karin Gresser (26), an IT specialist at the BMW Group in Munich since 2018. She submitted the project “WeltFAIRsteher”, a Germany-wide educational project dedicated to sustainable development. The award-winner developed interactive activities for pupils aged 10 and older and was also involved with designing educational projects, fund-raising and organisational development. The endowment will be used to expand the Germany-wide project, which almost 1000 children have participated in since 2016.

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