Billionaire Dirk Roßmann is urging wealthy business owners and affluent individuals in Germany to take on greater social and societal responsibility. Speaking to “Neue Presse” and “Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung”, partners in the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”, Roßmann stated that if people have the good fortune to be successful, they also have a duty that goes beyond simply paying taxes, which he considers a given. Instead, he believes they must give back in some capacity.
He noted that there are two types of entrepreneurs. One group is wealthy but never considers getting involved in social projects. The other group, which he describes as more often being too quiet about their efforts, is the one that deserves attention.
Roßmann explained that he focuses his own involvement on projects where aid reaches the people directly, rather than getting absorbed within large institutional structures. He aims for his support to make a concrete difference in people’s lives.
The founder of the drugstore chain named after him, Dirk Roßmann, will be turning 80 on September 7. Five years ago, he passed the leadership of his company to his younger son, Raoul, 41. Since then, the senior executive has only been coming into the company headquarters in Burgwedel near Hannover one or two days a week.
In contrast to his son, Dirk Roßmann maintains a rather distanced relationship with the digital world. He says, “I have a 30-year-old mobile phone, I don’t have a laptop. I have never written an SMS-I receive them, and then I call the people.” Many people told him that digital technology saved time, but he feels that, for most, it actually consumes time.
