Klaus Grohe Given a Lifetime Achievement Award As an Entrepreneur

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Klaus Grohe given a lifetime achievement award as an entrepreneur The Chairman of Hansgrohe AG's Supervisory Board is given the "Best of Management Award 2012"

Essen/Schiltach, March 2012. Klaus Grohe, long-standing CEO of Hansgrohe AG (www.hansgrohe.com) and Chairman of its Supervisory Board since 2008, has been given a lifetime achievement award as an entrepreneur and a source of inspiration in the sanitation industry. On the occasion of the largest German specialist bathroom fair in 2012, the SHK in Essen, Klaus Grohe received the "Best of Management Award", which was conferred for the second time this year by the trade journal "si Informationen". As from autumn of last year, the 34,000 or so readers of the SHK trade journal, which is published by AT Fachverlag in Fellbach, were called on to designate the personality whose entrepreneurial activities have created a positive impact for the SHK sector which extends beyond the here and now and the current year, and have been convincing over the long term." In the process, a clear majority chose Klaus Grohe. "I admit that I am myself not very concerned about awards for what I am or what I do. Because, on the one hand they are not what I work for, and on the other hand the whole team always have to make their contribution, so that management decisions can also achieve results," confessed Klaus Grohe. "However, when so many professionals in the sanitation industry express through a vote that what we have done and are doing at Hansgrohe is of sustainable benefit to them, then that makes it a special award which we at Hansgrohe are very proud of. Because that is what we work for at Hansgrohe: making things a little better every day, so that life for our market partners and our customers gets a bit easier.

"Obsessed with innovation in a positive sense" Klaus Grohe, born the youngest son of the firm's founder Hans Grohe in 1937, joined his father's company in 1968. At first he was responsible for sales, then in 1975 he took over the management of the bathroom and sanitation specialist from the Black Forest, a post he held until 2008 – after the conversion into an unlisted limited company as Chairman of the Executive Board. Since then he has chaired the Supervisory Board. Under his management, Hansgrohe AG developed from a small German drainage specialist into a global player in the sanitation industry and one of the world's leading mixer and shower manufacturers.

In addition to the economic success of Hansgrohe AG however, there are also countless technical innovations associated with the name Klaus Grohe, such as the Raindance shower range with its AirPower technology for mixing water and air Hansgroheor the AG EcoSmart · Public Relations technology· Auestrasse 5-9 · 77761 for Schiltach sustainable · Germany · Phone use +49 of 7836 the 51 1215, resource +49 7836 51 1226, of +49 water. 7836 51 1231, +49 7836 51 1297, +49 7836 51 3009 · Fax +49 7836 51 1170 · [email protected] · www.hansgrohe.com · Reproduction free of charge · Proof and voucher copy please · Commercial Registry: District Court Stuttgart, Registration No: HRB 481038 · Sales Tax ID No: DE 812782725 · Board of Directors: Siegfried Gänßlen (CEO), Richard Grohe (Deputy CEO), Marc Griggel, Frank Semling · Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Klaus Grohe Furthermore, as a pioneer in the sector from the end of the 1960s, he brought "good form" into the bathroom through intensive cooperation with external designers, such as Hartmut Esslinger, Andreas Haug, Tom Schönherr and Philippe Starck. "With his passion for the element of water and his obsession – in the positive sense – Klaus Grohe succeeded in reinventing Hansgrohe time and again along with his fellow staff members," explained the Chairman of the Hansgrohe AG Executive Board Siegfried Gänßlen. And this meant the development of the bathroom was given lots of important impetus all round the world."

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Caption: Given a lifetime achievement award as an entrepreneur and a source of inspiration in the sanitation industry: Klaus Grohe receives the "Best of Management Award" at the 2012 SHK specialist trade fair in Essen.

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Hansgrohe AG · Public Relations · Auestrasse 5-9 · 77761 Schiltach · Germany · Phone +49 7836 51 1215, +49 7836 51 1226, +49 7836 51 1231, +49 7836 51 1297, +49 7836 51 3009 · Fax +49 7836 51 1170 · [email protected] · www.hansgrohe.com · Reproduction free of charge · Proof and voucher copy please · Commercial Registry: District Court Stuttgart, Registration No: HRB 481038 · Sales Tax ID No: DE 812782725 · Board of Directors: Siegfried Gänßlen (CEO), Richard Grohe (Deputy CEO), Marc Griggel, Frank Semling · Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Klaus Grohe Within the international Hansgrohe Group, Hansgrohe is the premium brand for bathroom and kitchen fixtures, showers and shower systems as well as thermostat and plumbing technology. Winners of numerous awards throughout the world, the brand’s products stand for modern technologies, innovative design and a superlative level of functional quality. This explains the success of the brand as a market leader in the shower segment and as one of the leading manufacturers of fixtures. With inventions such as the shower bar, adjustable spray types, the QuickClean function, the AirPower or the EcoSmart technology, Hansgrohe is regarded as one of the leading innovators in the international sanitation industry. . ***

Design leader in the sanitary industry In the current ranking of the International Forum Design (iF) of the world's best enterprises in the field of design, Hansgrohe AG is in 6th position among 2,000 companies. With a score of 1,080 points, the Schiltach-based bathroom mixers and shower specialist even outperforms such enterprises as BMW, Daimler, Audi, Hewlett Packard, Loewe and Porsche and leads the design hit list in the sanitary industry. www.hansgrohe.com/design

Further information: Hansgrohe Pty Ltd - Public Relations - Natasha Rivett Phone: +61 400 432 005 E-Mail: [email protected] www.hansgrohe.com.au