Manfred Maus is only the second person to be awarded this prestigious Award at the Gala Dinner during the 2nd Global DIY-Summit at Villa Miani, one of the most exclusive venues in Europe.. He was selected for his almost unparalleled contribution over three decades to the home improvement industry. He was one of the DIY pioneers in Germany when as co-founder of OBI he opened the first OBI store in Hamburg in 1970 and was for many years the group CEO before taking over as Chairman of the Board in 2000. The position he held until 2004.

Manfred Maus was also the first president of the German DIY Association (BHB) when it was re-founded in 1991, a position he held until 2006. It was during his time as President of the BHB that Manfred Maus’ vision was to start a European association and so together with the French DIY-Retail Association (FMB), EDRA was founded in 2002. Manfred Maus was the 2nd president of EDRA from 2004 to 2008.