Internationale Martin Luther Stiftung

The daily Luther

28th March

And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

Interpretation of Martin Luther ...

Jon Baumhauer - Awardee of the LutherRose 2012

Curriculum vitae

Jon Baumhauer grew up in Munich and attended boarding school at the Benedictine Abbey of Ettal in Upper Bavaria. After studying philosophy at the Jesuit University Fordham in New York, Baumhauer moved to Munich to study psychology and history. After working for several years at the LMU (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität) under Theodor Hellbrügge, he worked as a psychological psychotherapist in Munich for over 20 years. Parallel to this work, Jon Baumhauer was appointed to the Board of Partners of E. Merck KG in 1979. Since 2002, he has been Chairman of the Executive Board of E. Merck KG, through which the Merck family holds the majority of shares in the pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company Merck KGaA. In 2004, Jon Baumhauer was elected Chairman of the Family Council and is thus the highest representative of the Merck family of companies. He is a direct descendant of Emanuel Merck, founder of the company, and an eleventh-generation descendant of Friedrich Jacob Merck, who took over the later Engel Pharmacy in Darmstadt in 1668 and thus laid the foundation for the company.

Entrepreneurial responsibility

Entrepreneurial responsibility and social commitment are very important to the Merck family and the company. As the oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world, the Merck Group is based on shared values: courage, performance, responsibility, respect, integrity and transparency determine the interaction with customers and business partners as well as between the 40,000 employees of the DAX-listed company.

Voluntary commitment

The Merck family and its company can look back on a long tradition of supporting art and culture. This began in 1769 with Johann Heinrich Merck. The Darmstadt publisher was a close friend of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and made it possible for the famous poet to publish "Götz von Berlichingen". This tradition of patronage continues to the present day. Evidence of this is not only the Johann Heinrich Merck Prize of the German Academy for Language and Poetry, but also numerous projects and initiatives through which Merck supports the promotion of art and culture. For example, the "Philharmonie Merck", which is supported by the company, sees it as its special task to sustainably promote the musical development of children and young people through orchestral workshops.

The company also supports a series of jazz concerts at Darmstadt's "Centralstation", the Hessian State Museum and many other projects. As part of the Darmstadt Photography Days, the Merck Prize is also awarded for the best presented work.

The Merck family and the company also make a significant contribution to promoting direct neighbourhood support. In addition to supporting schools, sport also plays an important role. However, the company not only demonstrates its social commitment in its home region of southern Hesse, but also fulfils its social responsibility internationally. For example, the company has set itself the goal of combating the worm disease schistosomiasis in Africa.

Hardly any other family has done as much for stability, security and social peace for generations as the Merck owners and their spokesman Jon Baumhauer.