“This feels very gratifying. It was a great honour to even be among the nominations. Many skilled business leaders have sustainability as a key part of their leadership approach,” says Johan Knaust, CEO of K2A.
It became clear that he would win the prize following a lengthy process that ended in the award ceremony in Bryggarsalen in Stockholm. There were two other candidates that made it to the final stage: Anna Elgh, CEO of Svenska Retursystem and Thomas Östlund, CEO of Protos.
“The competition was tough. I think I perhaps stick out a little extra since K2A’s work with sustainability is so integrated and also clearly links sustainability initiatives to professionalism and returns,” says Johan Knaust.
The award was given for the 23rd consecutive year and previous winners include Percy Barnevik, the Hand in Hand Foundation, and Karl-Johan Persson, then CEO and now Chairman of the Board of H&M. The award was presented by last year’s winner Klas Balkow, President and CEO of Axfood.
K2A’s sustainability initiatives have received a great deal of attention recently. A few weeks ago, Johan Knaust was also nominated for the Person of the Year in Sustainable Construction at the Sweden Green Building Awards, which will be presented on 27 October. In addition, K2A recently received the Symbiosis award, which is given to companies that combine profitability with consideration for people and the planet, as well as the Best sustainability report award following a comparison of companies on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm’s Mid Cap list.
