Celebrating Luxembourg Gala Puts Country’s Ambassadors in the Spotlight

Wednesday 13 December 2017 marked the first Celebrating Luxembourg gala evening, an event which highlighted the role played by various “ambassadors” of the country.

Despite the difficult weather conditions, some 1,000 people were present to attend the first edition of the evening Celebrating Luxembourg, organised by Maison Moderne and the Paperjam Club at the Rockhal.

The evening, led by Luxembourgish actress Désirée Nosbusch, celebrated the different facets of the life in Luxembourg, from institutions and culture to sport and business. During his speech, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who is patron of the event, stressed the need for Luxembourg to "remain open" in order to sustain its success, highlighting that: "Diversity is the strength and wealth of Luxembourg."

At the end of each section of the evening (institutional, culture, sport and business), two personalities were rewarded; one for their work or career through a "Lifetime Achievement Award", the other with the "Newcomer Award" as a form of encouragement. The awards were presented by Secretary of State for the Economy, Francine Closener.

In the institutional category, the former ambassador and Marshal of the Court, Guy De Muyser was rewarded for his entire career, whilst student Djuna Bernard was celebrated for her work with refugees. Actress Vicky Krieps received the "Newcomer Award" in the culture category, whilst former Minister of Culture and Public Works Erna Hennicot-Schoepges was recognised for her commitment to the cultural and academic scene.

Athletes were also called onto the stage with the young football player Vincent Thill, who plays at FC Metz, having received the "Newcomer Award". As for the "Lifetime Achievement Award", this went to the tennis player Gilles Müller who made a whole country vibrate during the Wimbledon tournament and was spotted by the New York Times on the sidelines of the last US Open.

In the business category, Thibaut Britz was rewarded with a "Newcomer Award" for having founded- alongside Christophe Folschette- Talkwalker in 2009, a tool for monitoring and analysing social networks. Earlier this year, the company raised €5 million to meet its ambitions. Finally, the independent entrepreneur Norbert Becker and creator of the tax firm Atoz received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" .