Manfred II

The later Prof. Dr. h.c. Manfred Mautner Markhof was born in Vienna as the eldest child and only son of Manfred I Mautner Markhof (1903 – 1981) and Maria Anna “Pussy” Kupelwieser (1900 – 1990). He experienced his first years in Freising near Munich, where his father still had to finish his studies at the Weihenstephan Brewery. Growing up with his cousins ​​Heinrich and Marius Mautner Markhof on the premises of the brewery St. Georg, he studied, after had attended the Schottengymnasium in Vienna, at the University of World Trade, the University of Vienna and Bowdoin College/USA. In 1969 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Redlands.

Like his father, thanks to his social, cultural and social commitment as an industrialist and politician, he was a respected personality in the 20th century Austrian society. In 1949 he joined the Schwechat Brewery, joined its board in 1957 and became its chairman in 1972. Under his leadership, the company became the first shirt sponsor of FK Austria Vienna in 1967 and therefore the first shirt sponsor in the Austrian soccer league; he also served as Austria Vienna’s president until 1971 and thus he ensured smooth communication between the club and the company. After the takeover of the Schwechater Brewery by Brau AG in 1978, he continued to serve as deputy chairman of the board.

During his political career, he had been working in the Economic Association since 1958 and was Vice President of the Austrian Economic Chamber. From 1980 to 1989, also as president he was responsible for the Viennese regional group of the Federation of Austrian Industries and from 1983 to 1999 he was a member of the ÖVP in the Federal Council.

In 1963 he became the first president of the newly founded WWF Austria and, last but not least, he wrote an unprecedented chapter in national advertising history with the founding of the first Austrian full-service agency Die Hager in 1952.

Manfred II Mautner Markhof married Margherita “Gita” Paola Countess Cassis-Faraone (born 1931) in 1951. With her he had the children Manfred Leo, Marguerite, Theodor Heinrich and Marie Gabrielle “Gabi”.

His memoirs “Snapshots” * do not only give an insight into his personal life, but also into the social and political events of Austria in the 20th century.

* “A collection of memories that by no means claim to be complete. Rather, the recordings of many hours of interviews with Professor Mautner Markhof have been collected and processed here in the hope of producing even more memories. I really enjoyed working together. May they bring joy to every reader again and again.”
Renate Zacherl, October 2007

Awards

• 1992 Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria in Gold
• 1997 Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria in Silver with Star
• 1997 Komtur des Ordens vom Heiligen Papst Silvester
• Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria in Silver
• Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Federal State of the Burgenland
• Commander’s Cross for Services to the Federal State of Lower Austria in Gold
• Decoration of Honour for Services to the Federal State of Vienna in Gold
• Large Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy
• Japanese Order of the Holy Treasure
• Lebanese Medal of Honour for Merit
• Dutch Medal of Oranien-Naussau
• Portuguese Order of Merit for Agriculture and Industry
• Papal Order of Saint Gregor the Great
• Spanish Order of Isabella the Catholic

Political Mandates

• Member of the Federal Council, Austrian People’s Party, (27.05.1983 – 01.03.1999)

Political Functions

• Member of the Austrian Economic Association, Vienna 1958
• Chairman representative of the Austrian Economic Association, Vienna 1969
• President of the Association of Austrian Industrialists, Vienna 1980–1989
• Honorary President of the Vienna Association of Industrialists 1989
• Vice President of the Viennese Chamber of Commerce 1960–1995
• Vice President of the Austrian National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce 1960
• Chairman of the association “Made in Austria” 1978
• Vice President of the Society for Foreign Policy and International Affairs 1958
• President of EBIC (EFTA Brewery Association) 1963–1968
• President of World Wildlife Fund Austria 1964–1985
• Founding President of the Worldwide Fund for Nature Austria (WWF) 1985