Alexandra Knauer Awarded the Federal Cross of Merit
Berlin Entrepreneur Receives Cross of Merit for Outstanding Service
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Entrepreneur Alexandra Knauer, managing partner of KNAUER Wissenschaftliche Geräte GmbH, has been awarded the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by the Federal President.
Alexandra Knauer has been awarded the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Landesarchiv Berlin / Grönboldt
The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, presented her with the award on October 19, 2026, during a ceremony at the Rotes Rathaus and delivered the laudatory address. The Order of Merit is the highest honor bestowed by the Federal Republic of Germany for services to the common good.
Kai Wegner honored Alexandra Knauer as the managing director of a high-tech family-owned company that strengthens Berlin’s competitiveness and innovative capacity as a hub for business and science. At the same time, he emphasized that, as an entrepreneur, she assumes great responsibility—for her employees, for fair working conditions, and for the common good. He particularly highlighted her commitment to equal opportunities for women and men in the workplace, to sustainability, and to her long-standing and diverse volunteer work.
Knauer is the second generation to lead the Berlin-based family business. She has been managing director since 1995 and owner since 2000. Over the past decades, she has transformed KNAUER from a traditional manufacturer of analytical measuring instruments into a diversified life sciences technology provider. In addition to analytical and preparative HPLC systems, the portfolio now also includes Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (FPLC) systems, equipment for the production of lipid nanoparticles, and a modular oligonucleotide synthesizer.
Sustainability and social responsibility are firmly anchored in the company’s culture. KNAUER is a member of the German Global Compact Network (DGCN) and has been hosting an annual Sustainability Week since 2020. Since 2022, the company has been supporting the “Go Green in Ghana” reforestation and development project in partnership with World Vision; to date, the company and the Knauer family have contributed 700,000 euros to this initiative. Alexandra Knauer volunteers on various advisory boards and boards of trustees, including the “Sustainable Metropolis” committee of the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK Berlin) and the district-level network for female entrepreneurs.
“I am deeply honored by this award—it also recognizes our entire KNAUER team, who work every day with passion and ingenuity, and my parents, who founded the company in 1962. For us, economic success and responsibility toward people, the environment, and society are inextricably linked,” says Alexandra Knauer.
The Federal Cross of Merit joins a series of other honors: As early as 2023, Alexandra Knauer received the Order of Merit of the State of Berlin, and in March 2026, she was awarded the Pittcon Heritage Award in the U.S. for her contributions to instrumental analysis and laboratory sciences.
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