Gauselmann Group founder Paul Gauselmann celebrates his 85th birthday on August 26.

Gauselmann

He is still the active CEO of the German manufacturing and operating group.

Born in 1934, the fifth son of a Münster craftsman, Gauselmann left school in 1950 to begin an apprenticeship as a telecommunications worker but in 1956 left to start a jukebox operation.

He heads an organisation that spans almost every aspect of the gaming industry, from AWP machines to full-scale casinos, manufacturing through the Merkur brand and operating.

Today, the Gauselmann Group has a turnover of €2.4bn, over half of which is drawn from outside of Germany, and employs over 13,000 people.