On April 24th, Peter-Josef Paffen received the “State Medal for Special Services to the Bavarian Economy”. The former Chairman of the Fendt Board of Management has been honored for his special commitment to the Fendt brand and to Bavaria as a production location. The award was handed out by Hubert Aiwanger, the Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs in Germany.
“On behalf of the entire workforce, we would like to congratulate Peter-Josef Paffen on this special award. The establishment of the most modern tractor plant network in Marktoberdorf and Asbach-Bäumenheim in 2012 also paved the way for the current growth and globalization of the Fendt brand.
In 2022, we produced an absolute record number of 20,022 tractors. This would not have been possible without the plant expansion over 10 years ago,” explains Christoph Gröblinghoff, Chairman of the Fendt Management Board.
“In addition, Peter-Josef Paffen has strongly contributed to the significance of the so-called Fendt spirit and the passion for the brand as a corporate culture. The willingness to independently and creatively search for the best solutions for Fendt customers characterizes the employees at Fendt to this day and is the basis of our success today.”
“This is an award for all Fendtlers,” says Peter Paffen about the State Medal. “The individual can only set the tone and try to inspire enthusiasm for the brand and product. Success is achieved by the entire team.”
Peter-Josef Paffen, who trained as a farmer and studied agricultural engineering, began his career at the company in 1998 with the international coordination of product management in the Research and Development department. A year later, as Director of Fendt Marketing, he took over the management of the then young Marketing Division and joined the Management Board as early as 2000. In March 2009, the Fendt Supervisory Board appointed Peter-Josef Paffen as successor to Fendt Chairman Hermann Merschroth, who passed away unexpectedly.
Peter-Josef Paffen thus assumed great responsibility as spokesman for the Board of Management in times of turbulent global economic crisis. Since 2020, the retired Peter-Josef Paffen has been a member of the Fendt Supervisory Board to support and monitor the Board. As a founding member of the Fendt Classic Club International, he is involved with Fendt classic tractor enthusiasts, among other things. In addition, he has been involved in the Rotary Club Marktoberdorf for many years. An accomplished and professional hunter with his own hunting premises, he is committed to the protection and preservation of species-rich and healthy free-living wildlife and to safeguarding their livelihoods. In this role, he supports farmers in the Ostallgäu region in saving fawns by flying over the grassland with his own drone before mowing.
About the Bavarian State Medal
With this state medal for Special Services to the Bavarian Economy, the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy and Regional Development honors personalities who have rendered outstanding services to the Bavarian economy. The medal has been awarded since 1974 and is presented to a maximum of 25 people per year.
