Irene Schwarz, whose father founded machinery manufacturer Engel(Schwertberg / Austria; www.engelglobal.com) in 1944, celebrated her 80th birthday at the end of December. Irene Schwarz worked for the company from the start. In 1951 she married Georg Schwarz, who joined the company as production manager. In 1965 they took over the management of the company, which had around 380 employees at the time. Irene Schwarz still goes to work every day and her experience is a valuable source of advice for the group.

In 1999 she was awarded the Golden Order of Merit of the State of Upper Austria and in December 2006 she was appointed honorary senator of the Leoben university.