managers who had rendered outstanding services to the European economic system or who had attracted attention, for example, through extraordinary innovations. The Best of European Business award was presented to a total of 36 prize winners from 2006 to 2013. European Rating Agency In the financial crisis from 2007 onwards, the dominant US rating agencies came under criticism. They demanded a European alternative as a counterweight to the market leaders Fitch, Moody's, and Standard & Poors. Among others, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel supported the project. She rejected a state implementation and instead called for an initiative by the business community. In 2011, Roland Berger took up this idea and developed a concept for founding a European rating agency. The agency would be organized as a foundation and thus completely independent. It was also planned that instead of the issuers, the users of a rating should pay for the rating, which would have largely prevented conflicts of interest. Frankfurt was one of the locations under discussion. The press was skeptical about the establishment of a European rating agency, and Spiegel magazine spoke of a "castle in the air from Brussels". Roland Berger nevertheless considered the many organizational and regulatory hurdles to be acceptable. The costs were estimated at 300 to 500 million euros. The project received the approval of several investors, whereupon Roland Berger announced the start of business operations in 2012. Nevertheless, implementation proved difficult, so the consulting firm put an entrepreneurial solution up for discussion. In 2013, the project failed due to a lack of financing. Terra Numerata In 2014, Roland Berger launched the Terra Numerata digital ecosystem. Clients should benefit from disruptive technologies and receive professional support. Open to all companies, the network brought together players of different sizes and sectors. It specifically supports digital ecosystems in the areas of smart data and artificial intelligence and connects Europe with high-tech hubs in Palo Alto, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Digital Hubs In 2016, Roland Berger and Visa founded the Digital Hub as a cross-industry platform for innovation. It enables established companies to research innovations, come into contact with the necessary technologies, and implement them in concrete projects. There are locations in Berlin and Paris. Publications In 2014, Roland Berger published Think:Act for the first time. The magazine is aimed at internationally active managers and was published in German and English from the outset. Think: Act has received several awards,