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On “Leibniz Day”, July 5, 2008, the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities) bestowed the Leibniz Medal 2008 to entrepreneur Klaus J. Jacobs in recognition of his services in supporting the sciences and humanities.
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Jul
07, 2008]
The Academy praised Klaus J. Jacobs as one of the most impressive entrepreneurs and an outstanding patron of sciences and humanities. The Academy particularly emphasized his support for private, international Jacobs University Bremen, to which the Jacobs Foundation bestowed a 200 million euro investment in fall 2006. In April 2008, Klaus J. Jacobs already received the highest tribute of his Hometown Bremen: The Gold Medal of Honor.
Since 1998 the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities bestows the Leibniz Medal of Honour to persons and groups „in recognition to their services for the sciences and humanities as well as for achievements in science that have been performed outside their core profession. Well known recipients have been Professor Dr. h. c. mult. Berthold Beitz, chairman and executive member of the Board of Trustees of Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Stiftung (2000), Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Reimar Lüst (2001) and SAP founder Professor Dr. h.c. mult. Hasso Plattner (2004).
Klaus J. Jacobs, who was born in Bremen in 1936, studied in Hamburg before entering the Bremen based family business, Jacobs AG, in 1962. In 1972 he became the chief executive officer. In 1982 Jacobs AG fused with Interfood to form Jacobs Suchard AG; which was sold in 1990 to Phillip Morris and was renamed Kraft Jacobs Suchard. In the same year the world’s largest temporary employment agency Adecco SA was created trough several mergers, especially the firms Adia Interim and Ecco. From 1995 to 2006 Klaus Jacobs was the President of Addecco SA, of which he is now the honorary president.
In addition to his business ventures, Klaus Jacobs founded the non-profit Jacobs Foundation in 1988 for the development and sponsorship of young people around the world. In 2001 the foundation supported the founding of the Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development was founded at Jacobs University (then International University Bremen), which was opened in 2003. Since 2004 the Jacobs Foundation has supported Bremen children with summer language camps for immigrant children with a deficit in the German language. In 2006 the foundation made the generous 200 million euro investment in International University Bremen, which was renamed Jacobs University Bremen in 2007.
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