on 31 august 2012, grünenthal chief executive harald f. stock apologised for the first time for producing the drug and remaining silent about the birth defects. stock was the chief executive officer of grünenthal gmbh from january 2009 to may 28, 2013; he was also a member of executive board until 28 may 2013. at a ceremony, stock unveiled a statue of a disabled child to symbolise those harmed by thalidomide and apologised for not trying to reach out to victims for over 50 years. at the time of the apology, there were 5,000 to 6,000 sufferers still alive. victim advocates called the apology "insulting" and "too little, too late", and criticised the company for not compensating victims. they also criticised the company for their claim that no one could have known the harm the drug caused, arguing that there were plenty of red flags at the time.