Luxembourg's entrepreneurial heroes recognised

Luxembourg must do more to promote entrepreneurship to young people, the winner of the 2013 Luxembourg Entrepreneur of the Year announced on Monday.

CEO of Cebi International SA René Elvinger was awarded the title by EY Luxembourg in recognition of his vision, the financial performance of his company and his ability to rebound in a difficult economic environment.

Receiving the award, he told the gathered guests that the future of Luxembourg industry lies in the promotion of entrepreneurship to our young generation.

Cebi International SA group was formed following a merger between Sogemi and Cebi International in 1994. Mr Elvinger took over presidency of the group in July 2011, since when he has helped the group to deal with the crisis which has severely affected the automotive industry, enabling it to register continuous growth in recent years.

“We are very proud to reward René Elvinger, who had the courage to acquire the buy-out management of an international group, at an age when people would prefer to retire,” said 2013 competition chairman Robert Dennewald.

A special jury award was given to “ serial entrepreneur” Norbert Friob of Prefalux in recognition of his success and also the challenges he has faced. Prefalux is a leading company in timber engineering and interior finishing, currently employing 260 collaborators.

The winner of Entrepreneur of the Year will be invited to attend an international competition where, among the winners from 50 other participating countries, he will represent entrepreneurship in Luxembourg.