New York, NY (June 13, 2024) – The American-German Institute (AGI) of the renowned Johns Hopkins University has honored Dr. Nikolas Stihl, Chairman of the Advisory Board and Supervisory Board of STIHL, with the Global Leadership Award 2024. The award was presented at a gala dinner on June 12 in New York and recognizes Dr. Stihl’s enduring positive influence on the German-American partnership as STIHL marks the 50^th anniversary of its manufacturing presence in the United States. For over ten years, Dr. Nikolas Stihl has chaired the advisory and supervisory boards of the STIHL Group, setting the company’s path for worldwide growth and a strengthened position in the United States. 

As the grandson of the founder of STIHL, Dr. Stihl embodies the qualities of German economic engagement—tradition and innovation—that have made the STIHL presence in the United States such a success. “Through Dr. Nikolas Stihl’s leadership, STIHL has continued to succeed in a challenging international environment through innovation and investment in sustainable and future-focused technology. STIHL is an example of the best of German-American economic cooperation,” said Martin Richenhagen, Chairman of the AGI Board of Trustees. Dr. Stihl joins AGI’s list of distinguished AGI Global Leadership Award recipients, such as the former German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel.

Since its founding almost 100 years ago, STIHL has grown from a one-man business into the world's top-selling chainsaw brand. For fifty years, this growth has included significant investments in American manufacturing in Virginia Beach, Virginia, creating thousands of jobs across the United States. The STIHL Group generates around one third of its sales revenue in the U.S., making this market its biggest. In the U.S., STIHL is the number one selling brand of battery and gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment among landscape and tree care professionals in America and the number one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment in America. The impact that STIHL has made on global markets and the transatlantic economic relationship is the result of foresight and vision on the part of the Stihl family.

“As the leader of a global brand with deep roots in Germany and a 50-year presence in the United States, it is an honor to be recognized by the only research institute in the United States that focuses exclusively on the German-American relationship,” said Dr. Stihl.

AGI inaugurated the Global Leadership Award in 1994 as part of the Institute’s mission to strengthen ties between the United States and Germany. The award recognizes the achievements of business and government leaders who have advanced the transatlantic partnership. Germany is a key partner of the United States in its most important international relationships: in transatlantic trade, within the NATO security alliance, and beyond. 

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