Helveta Wins in Environment Category at the 2012 FT ArcelorMittal ‘Boldness in Business’ Awards
21 March 2012
Oxford, UK, 21 March 2012 – Helveta, the provider of sustainable supply chain software, has won in the Environment category at the 2012 FT ArcelorMittal ‘Boldness in Business’ Awards. The global awards, now in their fourth year, recognise companies and individuals who have stood out for their dedication to innovation and change in the interests of commerce.
Since their inception, the awards have established themselves as the premier accolades in their category, thanks to their global reach and the impressive credentials of the judging panel including Lionel Barber, the Editor of the Financial Times and Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, who base their decision on a short-list drawn up by the FT's global network of bureau chiefs and senior journalists. This year Amazon, Samsung, Unilever, Helveta, Muddy Waters Research and Hyflux all scooped awards.
Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times, said: “The companies commended in this year’s FT ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business Awards have shown great courage in their business decisions, making choices that will safeguard and sustain their enterprises in the face of adverse economic conditions. With very high quality entries across the board we are delighted to see significant global representation and variety of industries among the winners.”
Leo Johnson, Partner at PwC and member of the judging panel said of Helveta’s win: “If a sixth of global CO2 emissions come from deforestation and 1.6bn people depend on forests for their livelihoods, then halting deforestation is a critical development challenge. And yet it has proven a tough nut to crack. You can win on the demand side, by getting consumers and companies to demand sustainable wood, but how do you ensure that the wood from forests across equatorial Africa and south-east Asia is harvested sustainably? Helveta’s business model is simple: technology that maps timber supply chains from forest to furniture outlet, giving traceability, chain of custody control, and guarantees of legal compliance.”
And, according to member of the judging panel, John Authers, Senior Investment Columnist at the Financial Times: “Helveta showed spectacular imagination in finding ways to turn a profit from improving the environment.”
Karim Peer, CEO of Helveta commented: “Winning the Environment award is a fantastic achievement for Helveta and testament to our continued efforts to use technology to assure sustainability and legality in global natural resource supply chains. 2012 will be an important year as private and public sector organisations across the world look to implement a range of measures aimed at protecting the global environment whilst also delivering much needed economic growth. This recognition shows that Helveta is well placed to support companies and governments around the world to meet these ambitions.”
Winners were announced on 20th March, at a ceremony, hosted by Lakshmi Mittal and Lionel Barber, at the British Museum, London.