On the 100th anniversary of Albert Ballin’s death: Hapag-Lloyd to hold first Albert Ballin Forum

To mark the centenary of Albert Ballin’s death on November 9, 2018, Hapag-Lloyd AG will be organizing the first Albert Ballin Forum in Hamburg. The centerpiece of the forum will be a two-day academic symposium, on November 6 and 7, that will critically reflect on historical and current processes of globalization. The symposium is being organized in collaboration with the Hamburg Museum and the Franz Vranitzky Chair for European Studies at the University of Vienna. The event will be held at the Hamburg Museum.

By establishing the Albert Ballin Forum, Hapag-Lloyd is commemorating the man who made the company great: Albert Ballin. The Hamburg native and shipping company executive, who was appointed director-general of what was then the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (Hapag) in 1899 and may be regarded as an engine of the first globalization around 1900, always combined commercial vigor with social and political responsibility.

As part of the forum, Hapag-Lloyd is establishing for the first time the “Albert Ballin Award for Global Action.” Awarded every four years, the prize aims to honor global initiatives that foster networking and exchanges among people and cultures as well as those that advocate on behalf of the victims of globalization. In addition, two “Albert Ballin Awards for Globalization Research” will be awarded. The research grants aim to promote innovative academic projects that use social science, the humanities and cultural studies to investigate the processes and problems of globalization, thereby laying the groundwork for responsible action in the future. These prizes will be presented during a gala reception hosted by the Senate of Hamburg in Hamburg City Hall on November 6.

“The exchange of people, information and goods has cultural, social and political aspects in addition to purely economic ones,” says Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd. “As a global company, we assume responsibility for the development of sustainable transport solutions and therefore support proactive global action and thinking. With the Albert Ballin Forum, we want to create a platform while simultaneously building a bridge from our past and present to the future of globalization.”

As a cultural homage to Albert Ballin, Hapag-Lloyd will host a classical concert at its corporate headquarters on the evening of November 7. Among other things, the performance of artists Razvan Stoica (violin) and Andreea Stoica (piano) will include the world premiere of a new composition by Boris Kosak dedicated to the memory of Ballin.

Attending the numerous events associated with the Albert Ballin Forum will be free of charge. You can find a registration form, further information on the program, and the names of the symposium lecturers on the Hapag-Lloyd website.