Dusseldorf Public life often stood still in the second Corona year 2021. But despite all the adversities and restrictions, a lot has happened in the corporate world outside of the pandemic that will be remembered for a long time to come.
From mid-July, western Germany in particular had to struggle with violent floods, the consequences of which can hardly be overlooked to this day – and in some cases the economy will continue to feel it for a long time. Labor disputes also raged through the media landscape, one of which temporarily paralyzed large parts of the Federal Republic.
A few billionaires flew into space, one drove to Grünheide in Brandenburg, one uploaded himself to the Metaverse. And then in the midst of the supply chain chaos in the spring there was a giant tanker that crossed the Suez Canal and threw large parts of economic life into chaos.
Joe Kaeser had been CEO of Siemens since 2013, previously he had been CFO of the group from 2006. At the beginning of February he moved to the split-off Siemens Energy as chief controller. Again and again he had attracted attention with his unusually open political positions, including on sustainability issues where his company was more of a criticism.
His successor at Siemens has been his former deputy Roland Busch since February 3, 2021. He holds a degree in physics and has been a member of the Siemens Board of Management since 2011. In 2016 he became Chief Technology Officer and from 2018 he was Chief Operating Officer.
Biontech founders receive the Federal Cross of Merit
They founded Biontech and launched the first mRNA vaccine against the coronavirus. For this they received the Federal Cross of Merit.
(Photo: imago images / Political-Moments)
Without the Biontech vaccine, social life would not have come anywhere near normal this summer. The mRNA active ingredient, which the Mainz-based company produces in cooperation with the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer, also plays an important role in the current booster campaign.
For their commitment to the development of the vaccine and thus in the fight against the corona pandemic, the Biontech founders, the married couple Özlem Türeci and Ugur Sahin, received the Grand Cross of Merit with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in March.
Container ship “Ever Given” tilts in the Suez Canal
The container ship blocked the Suez Canal for six days.
(Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
On March 23, the supply chains, which had already been affected in many places by the corona pandemic, finally came to a halt. One of the largest container ships in the world, the “Ever Given”, ran aground in a strong wind on an embankment of the Suez Canal and positioned itself across. The ship was supposed to bring goods from Yangshan in China to Rotterdam, but now blocked one of the most important trade routes in the world in both directions.
Hundreds of ships were stowed on the border between Africa and Asia, it was only after six days that the ship could be freed at spring tide and the canal was free again. The canal authorities detained the ship for months because of claims for damages and finally arrived in Rotterdam at the end of July almost four months late.
Gorillas drivers go on wildcat strike
At the beginning of October, the drivers protested again after many of their colleagues had fired.
(Photo: Getty Images; Per-Anders Pettersson)
The drivers of the supermarket delivery service Gorillas had been dissatisfied for a long time, but at the beginning of June the mood finally turned: After a driver was fired, the employees blocked several camps. Operation was barely possible any more, and customers could no longer order anything.
The dispute over the legality of the wildcat strikes without union organization continues and the image of the delivery service has suffered. Many of the striking drivers were sacked in October and November.
The flood disaster in West Germany particularly hits the Ahr valley
Even almost half a year after the flood disaster, many railways in the Ahr Valley cannot run again – the tracks are missing.
(Photo: imago images / Marc John)
The pictures went around the world: On July 13th and 14th, enormous amounts of rain fell in western Germany. First cities like Wuppertal and Hagen were partially under water, later southern North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate were hit. In the Ahr valley, entire villages were washed away, and many villages on the Erft were also barely recognizable.
Over 180 people died in Germany, and the clean-up work continues to this day. The rebuilding of the rail and telecommunications network in particular poses major challenges for companies.
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos flies into space
The Amazon founder after his space flight.
(Photo: AP)
Space tourism is coming – even if only for top earners for the time being. On July 11, Richard Branson was the first civilian to fly into space, winning the billionaires’ race. However, it only flew at an altitude of 86 kilometers; aircraft are only no longer maneuverable from around 100 kilometers.
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos was the first civilian to cross this line on July 20 with 106 kilometers. The dispute about who really was the first billionaire in space will probably no longer be resolved.
The GDL is on strike and Germany is paralyzed
The union leader speaks to the strikers at Berlin’s Ostbahnhof.
(Photo: dpa)
The announcement came on August 10, and it started the next day. By mid-September, the train drivers’ union paralyzed passenger and freight traffic in Germany for several days. Then there was finally a tariff agreement with Deutsche Bahn.
DAX corporations appoint as many board members as never before
Constanze Hufenbecher (left) has been Chief Digital Transformation Officer at the chip company Infineon since April, while Sarena Lin is Bayer’s new head of HR.
On August 11th, the second executive positions law came into force. Listed companies and companies with equal co-determination must now appoint at least one woman to the board if it consists of more than three people. Many DAX companies are already implementing the rules:
- Sabine Bendiek (SAP, Chief People Officer and Labor Director)
- Julia White (SAP, Chief Marketing and Solution Officer)
- Victoria Ossadnik (Eon, COO Digital, IT strategy and internal consulting)
- Barbara Karuth-Cell (COO Allianz SE)
- Melanie Maas-Brunner (BASF, Research Areas Advanced Materials & Systems Research, Bioscience Research, Process Research & Chemical Engineering and BASF New Business)
- Sarena Lin (Bayer AG, Chief Transformation and Talent Officer, Labor Director)
- Rebecca Short (Deutsche Bank, Chief Transformation Officer)
- Nicola Kimm (HeidelbergCement, Chief Sustainability Officer)
- Constanze Hufenbecher (Infineon, Chief Digital Transformation Officer)
- Belén Garijo (Merck KGaA, member of the Executive Board since January 2015, CEO Healthcare, Chairman of the Executive Board since May 2021)
- Darlen Caron (Siemens Healthineers, Chief Human Resources Officer)
Tesla boss Elon Musk visits the new factory in Grünheide
The Tesla boss on the construction site of the new Tesla factory in Grünheide in August.
(Photo: dpa)
In May he was in Grünheide near Berlin for a short business visit, and in August Elon Musk also attended press appointments. Among other things, he gave an interview with the then CDU party leader and candidate for chancellor Armin Laschet.
Mark Zuckerberg presents his Metaverse
The boss of the Facebook group Meta is talking to his virtual avatar.
(Photo: VIA REUTERS)
In a memorable presentation, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company, which also includes Instagram and Whatsapp, will be called Meta in the future. They want to concentrate more on virtual reality and bring their own services together in a large, virtual world.
More: In the shadow of the pandemic – The pictures of the year 2021 from the world of politics