Heinz Palme was Managing Director of 2008 Austria on the Ball, and Government Commissioner for EURO. As General Coordinator of Football World Cup 2006 he was awarded Project Manager of the Year 2006 by the German Company for Project Management (GPM).for “excellent achievement in a recognized and successful project with political significance.” In April 2000 he founded  the HPM agency, with a focus on event management and marketing, as well as development of systematic methods of project management for areas of sport, economy, and the personality management. Heinz Palme lives with his wife Birgit and daughter Lisa in Vienna.