Six decades ago, Sepp Reidlinger walked into Schloss Leopoldskron for the first time, eager to meet a group of fellow financiers to participate in a unique program that fostered a global conversation on the American economy. This was previously uncommon, yet Sepp desired to expand his knowledge and engage with bankers and economists with varying points of view.

“This was not so usual at that time, and they had so many people with whom you could discuss in an open way,” said Reidlinger. “It was not just a lecture, but there were discussions with the other fellows, with the professors and so on…this was very important for me, I would say even more important than factual knowledge which I got there.”

Sepp recalls this seminar, which took place in 1964, with much fondness and hope, a sentiment shared by Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS) Fellows both miles and decades apart. At the time, Sepp was at the start of his longstanding career with Creditanstalt, formerly one of the largest banks in Austria. Nearly 30 years later, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Sepp longed to share the eye-opening experience he once had with students who were caught behind the Iron Curtain, unable to raise the funds required to participate in SGS.

“I believe and could see that particularly many fellows came from the East, and many of them needed a scholarship,” said Reidlinger. “But at that time, I just thought that to change the world, in my view, to contribute to scholarships to fellows from developing countries.”

And so, Sepp did. However, he didn’t stop there. He also made Salzburg Global a reality for students from India, Pakistan and The Congo, providing opportunities for individuals who may not have had the chance to walk through the doors of the Schloss just as he had, nearly six decades ago.

For the next 75 years, Sepp hopes that Salzburg Global Seminar will continue its legacy of global development, maintaining its independence and rising above rising partisan divisions, something he values greatly and believes can be achieved.

“I think it's important for people who want to get closer by donating, to be sure, you'll find a group of very ambitious, always independent people who do not run across the influence of some party or other individual interests,” said Reidlinger. “The seminar is open, tolerant, and liberal, three values I know they will take into the future.”