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Gunter FielmannGerman businessman
Country:
 Germany |
Content:
Biography of Günter Fielmann
Early Life and CareerGünter Fielmann is a German businessman and the founder, majority shareholder, and CEO of Fielmann AG, a leading optical company in Germany. He was born in 1939, with his father Wilhelm Fielmann being a teacher and school director, and his mother taking care of the household. In his youth, Günter wanted to become a photographer but he followed his father's wishes and started studying the production of eyeglasses in 1956. In 1965, Fielmann obtained a diploma as a certified specialist in optical optics and began working for the company 'Essilor und Bausch&Lomb'.
Founding Fielmann AG
In 1972, Günter Fielmann, a qualified optometrist, opened his first store in the city of Cuxhaven. In 1981, he revolutionized the German optical market by offering 90 models of fashionable frames that were reimbursable by insurance. Previously, insurance only covered 6 types of frames, but thanks to Fielmann, people with poor eyesight and low incomes were able to look fashionable and diverse. The press gave favorable reviews to the "Robin Hood of Eyeglasses," and combined with aggressive marketing, Fielmann's company grew rapidly.
Expansion and Success
In 1982, a new store with over 7,000 frame models was opened in Kiel. Twenty years later, in 1994, Fielmann KG was transformed into Fielmann AG and started selling its shares. In 2002, Günter Fielmann acquired Plön Castle in Schleswig-Holstein and spared no expense in its restoration. The castle, built in the 17th century, had been the family residence of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Plön. Fielmann transformed it into the "Fielmann Academy Schloss Plön," an educational optometric center and further education center. For many years, Plön Castle had been closed to the public, but the new owner opened some areas for visitors. Since 2005-2006, the center has offered bachelor's and master's degrees in optometry in cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences in Lübeck.
Personal Life and Philanthropy
Günter Fielmann has two children from his marriage to Heike Fielmann, but the marriage ended in divorce. His son, Marc Fielmann, will eventually take over the management of his father's company. Fielmann plants a tree every year for each of his employees. In 2011, the company had 14,214 employees. In May 2009, he planted his millionth tree together with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein Peter Harry Carstensen.
As a passionate supporter of organic farming, Fielmann owns a large estate of approximately 1,600 hectares in Schierensee, an estate of 470 hectares in Marutendorf in Achterwehr, a large farm of 180 hectares in Krummwisch, and a farm in Lütjensee. He sells organic products from his farms under the brand "Hof Lütjensee". In 2000, Fielmann was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, First Class, by the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Two years later, in 2002, he was granted an honorary professorship.
In 2003, Fielmann received the prestigious 'Deutscher Gründerpreis' (German Founders Award), and in December 2004, the University of Kiel awarded him an honorary doctorate. Finally, in 2011, Fielmann was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the business magazine 'Manager Magazin'.
