2014 Sponsor of the Year, MB/Evobus

Ingo, you’re not a stranger to football yourself having played at a high level before embarking on your career with Mercedes-Benz. What did you think of the whole match-day experience at Old Trafford and meeting the RBIF’s honorary president Sir Alex Ferguson?

The entire trip was just fantastic. I was very lucky, since I got to see the derby: Man U vs Man City ….wow, what an atmosphere in and around the stadium. I could sense the importance of soccer for the entire city. And of course meeting with the living legend Sir Alex was an unforgettable experience. Chatting with him in a relaxed atmosphere, over a glass of wine, about soccer, the past and the future of Man U, was definitely one of the most memorable moments in my life……

Mercedes-Benz played an instrumental role in supporting the RBIF’s projects in 2015, what prompted you to sponsor the Foundation among all the other charitable initiatives you have? What value does the RBIF provide?

I was a guest at the RBIF dinner in 2013 and I was touched by the passion, the hard work and the love the people behind the RBIF put in to support children and their families in need. I felt that the projects that the foundation supports are making a real difference to the lives of the children that are benefitting from the RBIF. And if we as Mercedes-Benz and Evobus can add to that, I am very happy. I am also a father. And not least as a father, I am very happy to see that – for example with the support of the children’s hospitals in Budapest – the RBIF brings hope and happiness to a lot of children’s lives.

If you were to recommend the Robert Burns International Foundation to Hungarian and multinational businesses in Hungary as a vehicle for their Corporate Social Responsibility activities, which aspects of the RBIF’s operations would you highlight?

To act socially responsibly is the duty of any successful corporation. And of course there are many foundations that are worthwhile being supported. As I mentioned before, the RBIF convinced me personally because of the passion of the people behind it and the great projects that the foundations supports. The fact that the RBIF also provides a great networking platform was not a decisive factor for me, but it is without doubt a benefit that any corporation can utilize for further growth.