Friedhelm Pickhard was awarded the university medal of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) on November 15, 2019 as a sponsor of the Bochum technology location. "With this award, we express our gratitude and recognition for Friedhelm Pickhard's long-standing and beneficial commitment to the university," said Rector Prof. Dr. Axel Schölmerich. The medal was awarded at the RUB's 20th Academic Anniversary Ceremony in the Audimax.
In his function as Chairman of the Board of Management of ETAS, a Bosch Group company, Pickhard is making a significant contribution to building the future technology campus on the former Opel grounds. The ETAS subsidiary ESCRYPT is located at Mark 51°7. ESCRYPT is now active worldwide. The company was founded in 2004 as a spin-off of the Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security (HGI) and is now a leading provider of automotive cyber security solutions as well as consulting and services for enterprise security and IT-secured manufacturing. The takeover of this most successful spin-off of the RUB by ETAS was decisively driven forward by Pickhard - as was the later choice of location on Mark 51°7.
Closely linked to the city and the Alma Mater
"Friedhelm Pickhard has made a considerable contribution to the positive development of the future Bochum Technology Campus," said Rector Schölmerich. In addition, Pickhard is closely associated with the RUB through his committed membership in the board of trustees of the HGI. The RUB appreciates his intensive support during the inspection by the Max Planck Society in July 2017, which contributed significantly to the positive decision of the Joint Science Conference in May 2019 to found the Max Planck Institute for Cyber Security and Privacy Protection in Bochum.
Pickhard also pioneered the close cooperation between ESCRYPT and the RUB's start-up incubator Cube 5. Last but not least, he actively supported the RUB in the commission's inspection within the framework of the nationwide competition "Excellence Strategy". "In doing so, Friedhelm Pickhard has not only clearly committed himself to the city of Bochum, but also to his alma mater," says Schölmerich.
"As an alumnus, I feel a close connection to the RUB and Bochum as a technology location. I am proud to observe the developments there in recent years and am sure that the opening of the Technology Campus will be another milestone," said award winner Friedhelm Pickhard at the award ceremony.
About
Friedhelm Pickhard has been CEO of ETAS since 2010. He holds a degree in electrical engineering from the RUB. He joined Robert Bosch in 1989 and worked for Bosch Telecom (Teldix) before moving to Bosch/Blaupunkt in 1993, where he held various management positions in the Driver Information Systems division. He spent several years as Head of Research and Development in Penang, Malaysia, before becoming Managing Director of Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions in Bangalore, India, in 2006.
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