On this late summer evening, Hamburg was once again the meeting place for the transport and logistics industry. On 19 September, around 300 well-known personalities from the industry accepted the DVZ’s invitation to attend the LEO Awards ceremony in the historic Hagenbeck Dressage Hall. In a festive atmosphere, the guests eagerly awaited the announcement of the strictly confidential award winners.
In the ‘Entrepreneur’ category, the DVZ honoured Hans Thomann, head of the music store of the same name in Treppendorf, Upper Franconia. The 63-year-old turned his passion into his profession and turned his parents’ music store into the world’s largest musical instrument retailer. Thomann recognised the importance of online retail back in the 1990s, and today the company’s own logistics centre ships up to 40,000 parcels a day to over 160 countries. ‘I’ve won quite a few awards, but tonight is really cool,’ he said, visibly moved as he thanked the jury for the award.
The jury honoured Christiane Bauer, Head of Human Resources at Emons Spedition in Cologne, with the LEO award in the ‘Manager’ category for the most influential project of her professional life. With ‘Why not logistics’, she has broken new ground in the recruitment of commercial employees and enabled young people from West Africa to receive training in Germany. Language courses at Goethe Institutes, intensive on-site support and structured onboarding ensure success. More than 60 people from Congo, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso have now started their training in Germany, mainly at Emons companies. ‘If you have the courage to try something different, talk to me – together we can do something to attract more young people to logistics,’ Bauer appealed to the audience.
Sascha Feldhorst, one of the three founders and current managing director of Motion Miners, received the award in the ‘Innovation’ category. His company uses sensors and artificial intelligence to identify unnecessary movements and make processes in warehouses and production more efficient. More than 100 customers are already achieving savings of up to 40 per cent. Motion Miners, which emerged from Fraunhofer IML in 2017, supports them in improving the health and performance of their employees. ‘Models need training. I believe that we in Europe should take a confident look at the issues currently associated with the USA and China. With a different self-image, we will quickly catch up,’ he encouraged the gala guests with regard to the development of AI technologies.
John H. Niemann received the LEO Award for his lifetime achievement in logistics. As president of the Wilhelmshaven Port Industry Association, he provided decisive impetus for the construction of the Jade-Weser Port over decades. With perseverance, he won supporters, organised studies and drove political decisions forward. The terminal of the deep-water port, which opened in 2012, handled more than 1 million standard containers in a calendar year for the first time, just in time for the LEO Gala. ‘The Jade-Weser Port is as big as Wilhelmshaven was when the land on which it stands today was purchased,’ said Niemann, recalling the historic turning point that the development represented for the region.
At the end of the evening, the four award winners once again received long applause for their awards before the LEO Night came to a close in the early hours of the morning with conversation and dancing to the music of the live band ‘Life Society’.
The LEO Award winners for 2025 (from left): Sascha Feldhorst, Christiane Bauer, Hans Thomann and John H. Niemann. (Photo: Marco Grundt)
