Waiblingen, 14.06.2024 | Corporate Press Release

The American-German Institute (AGI) at the renowned Johns Hopkins University honored Dr. Nikolas Stihl, Chairman of the Advisory Board and Supervisory Board at STIHL, with its 2024 Global Leadership Award at a gala dinner on June 12 in New York, USA. By conferring the award, the AGI recognizes Dr. Stihl’s positive influence on the German-American partnership as the fam-ily-owned German company marks the 50th anniversary of its subsidiary in the United States. For over ten years, Dr. Stihl has chaired the Advisory and Supervisory Boards of the STIHL Group, setting the company’s path for worldwide growth and a strengthened market position in the United States.  

Exemplary for German-American economic cooperation

As the grandson of the company’s founder, Dr. Stihl embodies the qualities of German economic engagement — such as tradition and innovation — that have made the STIHL such a success in the United States. “Through Dr. Nikolas Stihl’s leadership, STIHL has continued to succeed in a chal-lenging international environment through innovation and investment in sustainable and future-focused technology. STIHL is an example of the best of German-American economic coopera-tion,” said Martin Richenhagen, Chairman of the AGI Board of Trustees. Dr. Stihl joins AGI’s list of distinguished Global Leadership Award recipients since 1995, which includes former German chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel. 

Success and growth in the U.S. 

Since its founding almost 100 years ago, STIHL has grown from a one-man business into the world’s top-selling chainsaw brand. Over the past 50 years, the company has continued to ex-pand its American manufacturing site in Virginia Beach, creating thousands of jobs across the United States. STIHL generates around a third of its sales in the U.S., the largest single market for the Group, where it is the best-selling brand for hand-held outdoor power tools. The impact that STIHL has made on global markets and the transatlantic economic relationship is the result of foresight and vision on the part of the Stihl family.

“As the leader of a global brand with deep roots in Germany and a 50-year presence in the Unit-ed States, it is an honor to be recognized by the only research institute in the United States that focuses exclusively on the German-American relationship,” said Dr. Stihl.

AGI inaugurated the Global Leadership Award in 1994 as part of the institute’s mission to strengthen ties between the United States and Germany. The award recognizes the achieve-ments of business and government leaders who have advanced the transatlantic partnership. Germany is a key partner of the United States in its most important international relationships: in transatlantic trade, within the NATO security alliance, and beyond. 

About AGI

The American-German Institute (AGI) is a nonprofit, non-partisan policy research center affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and dedicated to deepening understanding of the challenges fac-ing Germany and the United States in a broader global arena. Based in Washington, DC, AGI fo-cuses exclusively on the most pressing issues at stake for Germany and the United States. With in-depth policy expertise and understanding of both countries, AGI collaborates with the public sector, corporate leaders, and other research centers to deliver timely analysis and recommen-dations that help anticipate trends, reduce risk, and positively influence policy choices. 

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