Dr. Gunar Hering, CEO of Enertrag SE, is awarded the "Energy Manager of the Year 2022" prize.

Dr. Gunar Hering is the head of the renewable energy company Enertrag, based at Gut Dauerthal in Brandenburg. A member of the board of directors since 2014, the doctor of physics has been driving the energy turnaround worldwide in the spirit of company founder Jörg Müller as CEO there since 2022. Almost 900 employees at 18 locations in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa meet the ambitious demands of the company. Now Hering is being honored with the "Energy Manager of the Year 2022" award from the trade publisher Energie & Management (E&M).

Gunar Hering stands for pioneering spirit, expertise and commitment. It is thanks to his efforts that companies are now able to heat with surplus wind power, decarbonize road and rail transport with hydrogen generated from renewable energy sources, and make industrial processes climate-neutral.

When E&M editor Helmut Sendner created the "Energy Manager of the Year" award in 2000, the idea was that management personnel in the energy industry needed to re-skill themselves: Monopolies were abolished, and management had to compete.

The list of previous award winners exemplifies how the market has changed: Traditional energy suppliers have had to create new offerings, they have had to become "greener"; new companies have emerged. One of these is Enertrag, headed by Hering, which has consistently focused on electricity and heat generation from renewable energy sources since it was founded more than 25 years ago - in Germany and internationally.

"Enertrag has earned its laurels through its commitment to wind and solar power for energy generation," says Helmut Sendner, explaining his vote for the CEO. "For his global power-to-X projects, they are initially advance laurels to reinforce the manager's existing courage."

The honoree himself says: "For the 'Energy Manager of the Year' award, I thank you on behalf of our entire company - it is a great honor for us. The energy turnaround in the power sector is making good progress. Now other sectors, including industry, transport and heat, need to be decarbonized. Green hydrogen plays a crucial role in this process. For several years, Enertrag has been developing national and international H2 projects with clout and lighthouse character. We know that ramping up with 100 percent green hydrogen is possible. The award encourages us on this path."

Other voices from the jury on the award winner:

Prof. Christian Held, partner at Becker Büttner Held (BBH):

"Dr. Gunar Hering has successfully accompanied and shaped the energy transition in an entrepreneurial way practically since its beginnings. Particularly noteworthy is the development of Enertrag as a comprehensively active company far beyond renewable generation. It is a trend-setting company for the entire energy system."

Dr. Christof Spangenberg, Managing Director m3 management consulting GmbH:

"The energy transition requires new business models and high-risk positioning. Dr. Gunar Hering has early and consistently occupied and developed an important building block of the future generation landscape. This makes him a driver and role model for the next steps."

The award will be presented at an evening event during the E&M "Energy Managers" conference in Berlin in mid-September. The conference will focus on the relationship between energy suppliers and industry. Top-class speakers will exchange views on this topic. More info: www.energiemanager-online.de

More information about the award:

The award:

Initiated by Medienhaus Energie & Management and co-sponsored by the law firm Becker Büttner Held and the management consultancy m3 management consulting GmbH, the prize is being awarded for the 22nd time this year.