Entrepreneur awards leadership role models
Nine years ago, Per Winblad started a leadership site and established the CEO of the Year award, which has grown into a coveted accolade awarded to some of Sweden's most influential business leaders. Per even got hotel magnate Petter Stordalen to join him in a corner.
“We started Motivation.se nine years ago, it's a leadership site that focuses on value-driven leadership and highlighting good examples of managers. The next step was not that far away. It resulted in the CEO of the Year award, which was established in 2012 with the aim of rewarding good role models in Swedish business.”
Per's idea from the start has been to contribute to more value-driven leadership and long-term sustainable development of Swedish business and business management. The criteria for being named CEO of the Year were leadership, sustainability and profitability. Sustainability is a theme that has grown stronger over the years.
“I remember that there was resistance to that particular criterion from the start - from a fairly senior executive who didn't think sustainability was part of leadership. The way the world looks today, it feels good that we had that forward-thinking vision right from the start. We developed that thinking further last year when the theme of this year's award was sustainability, with Anna Ryott among the speakers.”
You have come a long way with the CEO of the Year award. Do you have any single event that you take with you?
It felt especially big when Petter Stordalen opened the gala as keynote speaker in 2017. I met him privately during Almedalen Week and went up to him and asked if he could lend At Six to our event. He agreed and even flew to the event from Dubai just to be there for the opening speech.
You generally feel good at networking. How have you gone about selecting your main partners?
Simply, we have sought collaboration with key partners who share our view of values-driven leadership and who think it is important to highlight good role models among Sweden's CEOs. Today we are awarding the prize together with Interim Search, Boyden Executive Search and SPP.
What have you heard it meant to the winners who have received the award over the years?
Everyone needs appreciation, even a senior manager. In addition to the winners expressing that it is fun to be appreciated, many say that it gives pride and an extra boost to the employees and the organization that their CEO is recognized in this way. I have also heard that most of them feel a greater responsibility to be role models based on the platform that the CEO of the Year has given them.
On June 11, 2020, a webinar will be held with last year's winner in the small company category - Pernilla Ramslöv, what can you expect as a participant?
Pernilla is a genuinely good role model who will talk about her leadership under the heading “Long-term thinking - and amore”. Exactly what that means, only Pernilla and the employees at NOX Consulting know, but I am convinced that she will share valuable thoughts to include in her own leadership development. And of course you will have the opportunity to ask her questions!
What is the immediate future of the CEO of the Year as an event in the current situation?
The 2020 CEO of the Year award was scheduled to take place at Fotografiska in Stockholm on November 10 in front of more than 250 participants. We and our partners have jointly decided to postpone the event due to the current corona pandemic. We will announce a new date after the summer when we hope to know more about whether and when it is possible to carry out CEO of the Year 2020.
Join the CEO of the Year breakfast webinar with Interim Search and Pernilla Ramslöv on June 11. Take me there!
