The GC Management Award - recognition for outstanding management performance
Exceptional achievements deserve recognition. Since 1998, we have been presenting the GC Management Award to entrepreneurs who set new standards in the printing and packaging industry. We honor courage, strategy, and vision—as a source of inspiration for an entire industry and as a testament to true leadership. Learn more about the award here.
Our claim
For many years, the GC Management Award has been a recognized accolade for entrepreneurial excellence in the printing and packaging industry. It is not awarded for short-term successes, but for substantial management achievements that inspire an entire industry.
We honor individuals who combine the courage to change with strategic precision. Whether it’s radical digital transformation, groundbreaking sustainability concepts, or the successful restructuring of complex organizations—the award honors the movers and shakers behind the scenes. Those who receive this trophy have proven that they not only understand market dynamics but also actively leverage them. This award is a seal of leadership, innovative spirit, and the ability to guide tradition toward a secure future.
The path to the award: Our selection process
Here’s how we determine the winner:
1. The Nomination
Process The path to the award is open: GC proposes prominent candidates, but companies can also actively apply or recommend deserving competitors. In addition, our expert jury contributes its own expert recommendations.
2. The Analysis
A nomination alone is not enough. GC’s experts analyze each candidate in detail. We evaluate operational performance, strategic direction, and alignment with our six core criteria.
3. The Evaluation
The results of the analysis are presented to the independent expert jury. Here, the finalists’ strengths and innovative contributions are intensively discussed and weighed against one another.
4. The Decision
: In a final session, the jury selects the winner. The award goes to the management team that has provided the strongest impetus for the printing and packaging industry in the current year.
Participation in the GC Management Award is free of charge. The winner will be honored during the GC Leadership Symposium.
The Criteria
Here is what we look for in our evaluation:
1. Strategic foresight
We do not evaluate short-term results, but rather the system. Has the management developed a business model that not only copies trends but also secures and expands its own market position in the long term?
2. Courage to transform
Stagnation is the greatest risk. We look for doers who have the courage to break down entrenched structures—whether through radical digitalization, new distribution channels, or the systematic restructuring of production.
3. Operational Excellence
A good idea is only as valuable as its implementation. The award winner must demonstrate that strategy has been translated into measurable quality and highly efficient processes that set new benchmarks in the competitive landscape.
4. Values-Based Leadership
Management is a human endeavor. We look at corporate culture: How are employees engaged? Is responsibility taken for the region and the environment? True greatness is reflected in one’s attitude.
5. Innovation & Market Impact
Does the company set trends that the industry cannot ignore? We recognize solutions that serve as role models and demonstrate what is technically and conceptually possible in the printing and packaging world today.
6. Financial Success
Visions need substance. We evaluate the economic resilience of management performance. A winner must demonstrate that the strategy leads to healthy profitability and that the company is financially stable.
Consulting perspective
Oliver Cynamon, Managing Director of GC Graphic Consult, brings deep insights from his daily consulting practice. “In our projects
, we see just how much potential this industry holds. With the GC Management Award, we want to celebrate not just numbers, but the courage to do things fundamentally differently and better. We need role models who lead the way—and we’re giving these trailblazers a platform.”
Oliver Cynamon, Managing Director of GC Graphic Consult
Perspective Economy & Science
Four additional figures from the business and academic communities round out the panel to objectively evaluate trends and entrepreneurial achievements.
The jury is supplemented annually by renowned industry experts and representatives from academia to ensure maximum independence and depth of expertise.
The jury puts the nominees through their paces. Their goal: to find the innovator whose strategy has the potential to inspire the entire printing and packaging industry.
Our award winners
2025 | Pinsker Druck und Medien GmbH
The driving force: Delighted customers. Pinsker excels at inspiring customers in a unique way. Consistent customer focus, solution-oriented thinking, pure passion, dedication, and high performance are the foundations of this success.
2024 | Sattler Media Group GmbH
The driving force: The courage to aim high. In a challenging market environment, Sattler relies on consistent consolidation and technological strength. An impressive management achievement that demonstrates how strategic growth secures the future.
2023 | Mediengruppe Oberfranken GmbH & Co. KG
The driving force: Holistic transformation toward “New Marketing.” mgo360 has demonstrated how a traditional printing group can evolve into an integrated full-service partner for marketing, technology, and content.
2022 | Esser Printsolutions GmbH
The Impulse: The Power of Change. Esser has proven that restructuring and reorientation can go hand in hand. With a clear focus, a company steeped in tradition was transformed into a modern solutions provider.
2021 | Vollherbst Druck GmbH
The Impulse: Creating Powerful Innovations. Vollherbst is a passionate leader and specialist in labels, with an exceptional feel for products and customers.
2019 | WURZEL MEDIENGRUPPE GmbH
The Impulse: Outstanding entrepreneurial performance. “I do my own thing.” In a volatile market environment, the Wurzel Mediengruppe has demonstrated how to succeed through agility and quick decision-making.
2018 | Flyeralarm GmbH
The Impulse: Outstanding digitalization strategy. The award recognizes the consistent implementation of the digitalization strategy and the rise to become a European market leader.
2017 | colordruck Baiersbronn W. Mack GmbH & Co. KG
The driving force: Eliminating waste, creating value. colordruck Baiersbronn was honored for the consistent implementation of lean principles in packaging production.
2016 | Werner Achilles GmbH & Co. KG
The driving force: Achieving market success through finishing and systems. The Achilles Group was honored for its exceptional innovative strength in the field of paper finishing and presentation products.
2015 | H. Heenemann GmbH & Co. KG
The driving force: Sustainably profitable corporate management. H. Heenemann GmbH & Co. KG was honored for its impressive economic continuity.
2014 | Aumüller Druck GmbH & Co. KG
The driving force: Success in cutthroat competition. The company impressed the jury with its sustained success and profitable growth.
2013 | Eberl Print GmbH
The Focus: Outstanding entrepreneurial achievement. Despite the crisis and restructuring—including staff reductions and site closures—the company managed to return to success.
2012 | Kromer Print AG
The Focus: Successful, efficient corporate restructuring. The company impressed with its consistent implementation of measures to increase efficiency.
2011 | infowerk AG
The Inspiration: Successful cross-media corporate positioning. The company was recognized for its consistent evolution from a traditional typesetter to a renowned firm specializing in advertising, software, and printing.
2010 | targetmedia GmbH
The Impulse: Excellent sales. Based on an innovative marketing and sales strategy, the company hasestablished an exceptional market position in the field of retail communication.
2009 | SDV – Die Medien AG
The Impulse: Excellent change management. The company has undergone an impressive transformation from a printing operation to a media service provider.
2008 | Büttenpapierfabrik Gmund GmbH & Co. KG
The driving force: Excellent corporate management. Gmund is a top-performing company with an innovative sales and marketing strategy.
2007 | Meyle+Müller GmbH
The Focus: Innovative Corporate Management. The company does many things differently than everyone else and is therefore exceptionally successful.
2006 | rob.leunis & chapman group
The driving force: Outstanding productivity achievements. The company stands out due to the specialization of its individual business units and the consistent expansion of production capacities and finishing capabilities.
2005 | Sommer Corporate Media
The driving force: Innovative and successful market positioning. The company lives up to its slogan “we create solutions” in a remarkable way.
2004 | Ortmann Team GmbH
The driving force: Excellent, market-oriented corporate management. Its focus on people and clear market orientation make the company exceptionally successful.
2003 | Ueberreuter Print und Digimedia GmbH
The driving force: An innovative marketing concept. Thanks to a consistent positioning strategy, the company has developed into a successful full-service provider.
2002 | Stämpfli Holding AG
The driving force: Innovative business ideas. Like no other company, Stämpfli knows how to develop innovative business ideas and implement them consistently.
2001 | Tamedia AG
The driving force: Excellent human resources management. At the heart of the company lies an exceptional HR policy that lays the groundwork for work that is both meaningful and enjoyable.
2000 | Media-Print Informationstechnologie GmbH
The driving force: Digitalization as a guiding principle. Based on a new strategy, consistent digitalization led to a significant improvement in revenue and earnings.
1999 | Lipp GmbH Graphic Services
The driving force: Excellence that’s fun. The company maintains a highly successful win-win partnership with employees, customers, and suppliers.
1998 | Schreiner Etiketten GmbH & Co. KG
The driving force: Culture and identity. This is the true core of the company’s extraordinary success, which is also based on innovation, quality, and performance.