D’Ester Award 2025 for Outstanding Student Engagement

Students of WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the well-being of the university community and society at large during the previous academic year may be considered for a special distinction: the d’Ester Award of the WHU Foundation. In 2025, the award was presented to Otis Mohr (BSc 2023/MSc 2025). The prize commemorates the d’Ester family of entrepreneurs, who had Marienburg Castle in Vallendar built and who, at their time, exemplified a strong sense of social responsibility.

In his laudatory speech at the New Year’s Dinner of the WHU Foundation on January 15, 2026, Dr. Toni Calabretti, Chairman of the Board of the WHU Foundation, emphasized Otis Mohr’s outstanding dedication to the WHU community. His contributions included serving as an active member of the leadership team of the WHU First ResponderInitiative, in which he participated in more than 50 emergency response missions, acting as a long-standing statistics tutor, working as a team member at IdeaLab!, and founding the non-profit organisation Invest it e. V. to promote financial education. Otis Mohr, Dr. Calabretti noted, “exemplifies what distinguishes many WHU students: taking initiative and assuming responsibility—for others and for society. Congratulations, Mr. Mohr.”

Each year, the d’Ester Award recipient is selected anonymously by the students themselves. The award aims to highlight engagement for the community and society and to inspire others to take responsibility. The First Responders are a student initiative at WHU whose members provide qualified first aid in emergency situations before professional emergency services arrive.