Dr. and Mrs. Struengmann

Andreas Struengmann and his South African-born wife Sue live in Southern Germany, fifty kilometres outside Munich, although they spend part of each year in Cape Town, South Africa.  They have two adult children, Nicole and Florian. The family enjoys travelling together, sailing, playing tennis and golf in the summertime and skiing in winter.

Andreas originally came to South Africa as a medical intern, after studying in Freiburg and Munich.  At that time, he and Sue worked together in Tsolo, in the Eastern Cape, where they were struck by the lack of resources in both the hospital and the school where Sue was working.  “There wasn’t enough medicine and there weren’t even pens and pencils available to learners.  We made a promise to each other that if we were ever successful enough, we would do our part to help young people in this country get a good education”, remembers Sue.

Andreas went on to work as a GP in South Africa and then, in 1978, entered the family pharmaceutical business in Germany.  He and his twin brother sold the business in 1986 and founded the pharmaceutical company HEXAL AG.  In 2005, HEXAL AG and its affiliated US company Eon Labs were sold to Novartis AG.  Thereafter, the brothers founded the Struengmann Family Office, Athos Service GmbH, in Munich, which invests in various industries.

The Andreas and Susan Struengmann Foundation was established in 2007 to sponsor educational intiatives in the Western Cape, the first of which is the Students for a Better Future high school scholarship programme. Students for a Better Future enables academically gifted, financially needy learners to attend some of the best high schools in the area. The aim of the programme is to allow these Scholars to fully develop their talents and make a valuable contribution to their country, communities and families.