Reinhard Wolff: „We make the difference“

Reinhard Wolff was visibly moved yesterday as he received the Global DIY-Lifetime Award. The international home improvement industry honoured the managing director and co-owner of Wolfcraft, who has shaped the industry for 17 years as president of the European manufacturers' association Hima. The award ceremony took place at a gala dinner during the Global DIY-Summit, which brought together around 1,000 participants from all over the world in Lisbon yesterday and today.

The laudatory speech for the award winner was given by John Herbert, who, as managing director of the international DIY association Edra/Ghin, has been working together with Wolff for a long time. He praised Reinhard Wolff as a man guided by the values of respect, honesty and fairness in his daily work – "a man you can absolutely and one hundred per cent trust". A film showing not only his family but also Kingfisher CEO and Edra President Thierry Garnier spoke about how deeply rooted Reinhard Wolff, a father of four, is in the industry and how much he is supported by his family.

In his acceptance speech, Reinhard Wolff highlighted five milestones in the history of the company founded by his father, where he has worked since 1982, to illustrate the development of the industry: the 1970s with the advent of self-service, for which his father was the first in the industry to introduce blister packaging; the 1980s, when every country in Europe still had its own currency; reunification and the "clash of civilisations"; digitalisation and the importance of social media for communication today; and finally, the coronavirus pandemic, during which he received assurances from two large DIY store groups: "We have trust in our suppliers and we have to stand together, delivery contracts are paused" – which, according to Wolff, proves the "partnership in our industry". He concluded with an appeal to the industry to join forces in the fight against climate change: "As a sector, we have the possibility and the responsibility. We can make the difference."