ORLANDO, Fla. — The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association awarded Hans Georg Näder with its first International Lifetime Achievement Award.
“This award embodies the spirit of service, leadership and accomplishment marked by the recipient’s contributions to the world of orthotics and prosthetics,” Thomas F. Kirk, PhD, president of the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA), said during the award presentation at the AOPA membership meeting, here.
Näder is the president and chief executive officer of the Otto Bock Group.
Hans Georg Näder
“In 1990, the 28-year-old Näder assumed the leadership role of the company and grow the company he did,” award presenter Brad Ruhl, president and chief executive officer of Ottobock US Healthcare, said. He cited more than 7,000 employees in more than 50 countries throughout the world as a marker of Ottobock’s success.
“One technology that will always be associated with Hans Georg is the C-Leg,” Ruhl said. The C-leg was first discovered by Näder at the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics meeting in Chicago in 1993. He struck a deal with the young developer at the meeting and quickly brought it to production, Ruhl said.
Ruhl spoke of the company’s support and sponsorship of the Paralympic Games, as well as Näder’s passion for art collecting.
“I want to thank you for this great honor,” Näder said. “It is all about commitment to create independence and quality of life for people. We do this on a global scale with you — our partners, our customers and our friends. The biggest future opportunities for O&P are the field of neurorehabilitation. This opens new doors for orthotics and prosthetics.”
For more information:
Kirk TF. AOPA membership meeting. Presented at: O&P World Congress. Sept. 18-21, 2013. Orlando, Fla.
