Bernard große Broermann was born on November 20, 1943, in Damme, Lower Saxony, and grew up on his parents' farm. From an early age, he learned about the entrepreneurial spirit in this family business, which would accompany him throughout his life. After completing his schooling, he devoted himself to medicine and chemistry before graduating with a degree in law and business administration and earning his doctorate in law at the age of just 26. This was followed by further degrees (Master of Business Administration) from INSEAD in Fontainebleau (France) and Harvard in Boston (USA). 

Bernard große Broermann began his professional career at the auditing and tax consulting firm Ernst & Whinney in Boston (now Ernst & Young) and later moved to the company's Frankfurt office. During this time, he also passed his exams to become a tax advisor and auditor, as well as his second state law exam. 

The founding of the Asklepios Group in 1985 marked the beginning of the success story of one of the largest and most renowned hospital groups in Germany. The establishment and development of the company—named after the god of medicine in Greek and Roman mythology—are the life's work and legacy of Bernard große Broermann. He initially took over numerous public hospitals in need of renovation and restructuring and successfully repositioned them in terms of quality and entrepreneurship. Bernard große Broermann acted as a visionary founder – yet always remained modestly in the background. With passion and entrepreneurial foresight, he pursued his goal of continuously improving healthcare and prevention through quality, innovation, and social responsibility for decades. While the Asklepios Group continued on its growth course, he placed particular emphasis on quality management – always with the aim of developing a system that comprehensively takes into account patient safety and the quality of medical care. 

The acquisition of a majority stake in the former Landesbetrieb Krankenhäuser in Hamburg in 2005 was of crucial importance in the development of the Asklepios Group. In 2011, it acquired a majority stake in the listed company MediClin AG. In 2020, Asklepios finally acquired a majority stake in the listed company Rhön Klinikum AG and thus indirectly the only privately owned university hospital in Giessen and Marburg. Bernard große Broermann's tireless dedication and foresight have resulted in high-quality medical care and patient-oriented services now being offered in more than 170 healthcare facilities throughout Germany. Today, Asklepios cares for more than 3.5 million patients annually and employs over 68,000 people.

Bernard Broermann's commitment to medicine and his entrepreneurial successes were unparalleled. He understood how to combine modern management methods with humanitarian responsibility, thereby having a lasting impact on the quality and efficiency of healthcare in Germany. Continuously improving medical care and developing it further through innovation was his great passion. This is also reflected in the international “Broermann Innovation Award for Medicine” he established. This award, which will be presented annually in the future and is endowed with one million euros, is another significant legacy of Bernard große Broermann. It underscores his ongoing commitment to promoting and recognizing groundbreaking medical achievements. This attitude is also evident in his autobiography, published in 2023, entitled “Passion for Health.” 

Bernard große Broermann had gradually handed over the operational management of the Asklepios clinics to an experienced management team with foresight and had since then increasingly focused on his shareholder duties. Bernard große Broermann ensured that the Asklepios Group would remain in family ownership beyond his death, continue to exist as a single entity, and be capable of making decisions and taking action at all times. This was very important to him and reflected his understanding of corporate responsibility. All shareholdings have therefore been bundled into Broermann Holding GmbH, where a committee of family members and long-standing confidants will ensure that the interests of the shareholders are safeguarded in the long term and that Bernard große Broermann's vision is continued.

We will remember Bernard große Broermann as a man who devoted his life with great passion to improving healthcare. As a devout Catholic, he always incorporated his Christian values into his work—the well-being of people was always his primary focus. Bernard große Broermann was a pioneer in the private healthcare industry. His legacy will live on in the institutions he created and in the hearts of all those who had the good fortune to cross his path and work with him.

Bernard große Broermann's death is a huge loss, but his spirit and vision will live on in his life's work. We bow our heads to an outstanding personality and say thank you for everything he did for his company and for healthcare in Germany.