Lars Sunnanväder, Winfried Kretschmann, Sebastian Büchert, Cindy Holmberg, Chris Kühn & Philipp Hahn (from left to right)

Prime Minister heavily impressed by Bentley

Never before in its 12-years history, a head of government was a guest at Bentley! On 23rd of September the Minister President from Baden-Württemberg*, Winfried Kretschmann, was warmly welcomed by CEO Sebastian Büchert and company founder Lars Sunnanväder at the Bentley headquarters in Hechingen.

However, since such a top politician does not have much time in the final phase of the election campaign, the programme of the visit had to be tightly pulled through in a little more than an hour. Sebastian Büchert presented the Bentley success story to Mr Kretschmann, who was accompanied by Chris Kühn, member of the Bundestag (the national parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany), and Cindy Holmberg, member of the Landtag (federal state parliament). Among other topics, the presentation also covered the "Großer Preis des Mittelstandes" award, which Bentley recently won (see press release of September 20th, 2021) as well as the new building plans at the site, which are to be implemented from October. The presentation of the award-winning corporate movie "For Peter", which shows that Bentley has the right stent for every patient, also highly impressed the visitors.

The politicians were also able to have a look how the Bentley products are manufactured during a 20-minute tour of the production facilities. "We are impressed," said Minister President Kretschmann afterwards. In the exchange that followed, the mayor of Hechingen Philipp Hahn said the city was "proud of medical technology companies like Bentley", which provide the city with a trade tax surplus worth millions. "We will invest this money in childcare and in new residential areas."

Of course, the meeting also dealt with topics that are of particular concern to Bentley and the medical technology industry in the region, for example the recruitment of skilled workers. Bentley CEO Sebastian Büchert presented a concept drafted by Bentley for a new apprenticeship as “medical technician" to Mr. Kretschmann and asked for political support in its implementation. The Minister President referred to the responsibility of the federal government, but assured support together with Chris Kühn by taking the initiative to Berlin to further discuss the proposal.

*third-largest state (Bundesland) in Southwest Germany in which Bentley is located

Contact: Kerstin Stotz, Communication & Event Coordinator, k.stotz@bentley.global