The Nordic Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines or NordCham revealed last week in Makati City all the finalists for the 6th Nordic Awards that will happen on October 23 at the Fairmont Makati Ballroom. This year’s awards night will take the theme “Northern Light.”
Attended by the NordCham Philippines, and the Embassies of Denmark, Norway, Sweden in Manila, Embassy of Finland in Kuala Lumpur, and the Philippines Norway Business Council, the body announced qualifying affiliate companies in the country that reflect the Nordic states’ business values. The finalists were revealed per category as:
Corporate Sustainability Company of the Year, co-presented by Trends & Concepts awards the company that values environment, human rights and working conditions, and anti-corruption measures and business ethics. Finalists chosen are:
- Ericsson
- Grundfos
- H&M
- Integrated Micro-Electronics
- Novo Nordisk
Growth Company of the Year, co-presented by BDO Unibank recognizes the company that highlights employment generation and revenue growth. Qualifiers for this category include:
- Integrated Micro-Electronics
- KMC Solutions
- NNIT
Outstanding Employer of the Year, co-presented by Regus & Spaces, awards businesses that value gender equality, health and well-being, as well as equal development opportunities. Finalists for this category include:
- Döhle Shipmanagement
- H&M
- NNIT
- Nokia
- OSM Maritime Group
Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) of the Year, co-presented by KMC Savills, like the Growth Company of the Year Award highlights employment generation and revenue growth. Finalists are:
- Aidea
- Connovate
- OnlineFactory
Apart from these awards, a special feature of the Nordic Awards Night 2019 says NordCham Executive Director Joona Selin is the introduction of a fifth awards category which is the “Innovation Company of the Year.” The finalists for this are:
Innovation Company of the Year, co-presented by Salarium is looking for businesses with a degree of innovation and sustainability; international potential; and likelihood of success. Finalists chosen include:
- Aidea
- Connovate
- Ericsson
- Integrated Micro-Electronics
- Ocean Sun
Selin then spoke about the core values defining the Nordic countries which companies these days should exhibit, saying:
“The Nordic Awards is our way of recognizing companies who live by the values that we
stand for in the Nordic countries: innovation, sustainability, equality, education, and
growth.”
He adds:
“These values are reflected in the judging criteria for the five award categories, and we have also put a focus on sustainable development goals in each of the categories.”
PwC Philippines Director Dakila Socrates B. Lavilla was also present during the event and spoke about this year’s awards night saying:
“The themes of the Nordic Awards seem to resonate well in the Philippines, as we received
a record number of 60 nominations for this year’s awards.”
The PwC serves as the knowledge partner of the 2019 Nordic Awards 2019. The organization was tasked to supervise in ranking the nominees and selecting the finalists that were just announced. They also serve the board of judges that is comprised of Nordic-Philippine representatives from the public and private sector, including:
- Carol Dominguez, Board of Governors Secretary, Management Association of the
Philippines - E. Harald Fries, Ambassador of Sweden to the Philippines
- E. Bjorn Jahnsen, Ambassador of Norway to the Philippines
- E. Petri Puhakka, Ambassador of Finland to Brunei, Malaysia, and the
Philippines - E. Grete Sillasen, Ambassador of Denmark to the Philippines
- Elizabeth Sy, Consul General (a.h.) of Iceland
Over 200 C-level executives, entrepreneurs, leaders of local and foreign chambers of commerce, ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps, government, and guests from the media will be attending the Nordic Awards 2019. This program serves as a part of the 2019 NordStar Event Series on Innovation and Sustainability and is supported by the Nordic Co-operation (Norden).
