CTO of the Year Europe 2022 winners lead the way in sustainability in ICT and textile supply chains

June 1, 2022 Eerika Ala-Kantti

This prestigious and annual recognition for innovative and inspiring leadership that creates groundbreaking solutions in their respective companies were given for the 7th time. In the Large Enterprises category, the Jury selected CTO Erik Ekudden of Ericsson as the award winner. In the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) category, the recognition was awarded to CTO Madhava Venkatesh of TrusTrace.

Erik Ekudden of Ericsson and Madhava Venkatesh of TrusTrace.

The winners of the CTO of the Year Europe award 2022 were announced at EIRMA’s CTO Forum on the 19th of May 2022 hosted by UNILEVER Foods innovation Center HIVE in the Netherlands.

Driving the emerging technologies into network

Ericsson is one of the leading providers of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to service providers. As Group CTO, Erik Ekudden is responsible for setting the direction of technology leadership for the Ericsson Group. Mr. Ekudden practices a leadership that engages individuals and surrounding ecosystem of innovators across the Ericsson Group, enabling a dynamic and creative collaboration that drives technology leadership and guides the company into new areas.

Europe is the leader in mobile communications. 5G and other wireless technologies increase competitiveness in all European industries and Mr. Ekudden has been contributing this for decades. Communication technologies have also been an important driver for Europe to build economic strength and renewal during the Covid-19 crisis and enabling faster recovery after that. Ericsson’s societal impact includes 34 % energy savings in Ericsson radio system compared to legacy portfolio, a 5G product portfolio that is 6,6 times more energy efficient than 4G, reduction of CO2 emissions by 43 % from year 2016 baseline and numerous sustainability-related research activities regarding the climate and lifecycle impacts of ICT.

End-to-end product traceability platform for textile and apparel brands

TrusTrace provides an end-to-end product traceability platform for textile and apparel brands, that helps brands accelerate their sustainable transformation, and get control of their supply chain data to prepare for and comply with the fast-evolving regulatory landscape. TrusTrace was founded in 2016, with the aim to fundamentally change the way fashion is produced and consumed and is headquartered in Stockholm. It has evolved from a grassroots initiative in India into a high-tech supply chain traceability company with more than 100 employees. The market-leading digital traceability platform is open source, to foster industry collaboration and knowledge-sharing, and uses blockchain technology and artificial intelligence to streamline data collection.

The work of Madhava Venkatesh as the CTO of TrusTrace addresses a crucial issue in the fashion and apparel industry, digital traceability performed at scale. Under the leadership of Madhava Venkatesh, his team works on harnessing advanced technology in clever way which makes a significant impact on the environment and helps the fashion industry accelerate their journey towards sustainability.

The CTO of the Year Europe award was created to pay tribute to the work of the Chief Technology Officers that foster a culture of innovation and make technology work for Europe.

The 2022 Jury members are Malte Lohan, Director General of Orgalim, Europe’s Technology Industries, Pol Lombaert, Group Innovation Director at Beaulieu International Group, Tomas Hedenborg, Former President of Orgalim and Founder and CEO of Fabel Advisory, Amina Hamidi-Calvo, CTO of ABB Electrification and CTO of the Year Europe 2019 for large corporations, and Joeri Van Steen, CTO of Faktion and CTO of the Year Europe 2019 for SMEs. The secretary of the jury is Pekka Koponen, Founder and Chair of Spinverse.

Read the full press release here.

CTO of the Year Europe 2022 – finalists of the annual Award announced

May 10, 2022 Eerika Ala-Kantti

The finalists of the year 2022 award have now been announced. The 2022 winners will be awarded at EIRMA’s CTO Forum on the 19th of May 2022 hosted by UNILEVER Foods innovation Center HIVE in the Netherlands. Stay tuned!

CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of the Year award is a platform to promote the importance of technology and innovation in Europe. The award is given to the most prominent technology leaders of highly successful European companies: people who are inspiring leaders and technology managers with foresight. The CTO of the Year Europe jury has now carefully evaluated all the nominations received from all over Europe and announced the finalists.

The finalists in the category of Large Enterprises are as follows:

Erik Ekudden, CTO, Ericsson
Victoria van Camp, former CTO, SKF
Özlem Türeci, CMO, BioNTech

The finalists in the Small and Medium Enterprises are as follows:

Bas Hulsken, CTO, Quibim
Hamed Sadeghian, CTO, Nearfield Instruments
Madhava Venkatesh, CTO, TrusTrace

The 2022 Jury members are Malte Lohan, Director General of Orgalim, Europe’s Technology Industries, Pol Lombaert, Group Innovation Director at Beaulieu International Group, Tomas Hedenborg, Former President of Orgalim and Founder and CEO of Fabel Advisory, Amina Hamidi-Calvo, CTO of ABB Electrification and CTO of the Year Europe 2019 for large corporations, and Joeri Van Steen, CTO of Faktion and CTO of the Year Europe 2019 for SMEs. The secretary of the jury is Pekka Koponen, Founder and Chairman of Spinverse.

The winners of the year 2022 will be revealed on 19th May 2022 at EIRMA’s CTO Forum. The event is hosted by UNILEVER Foods innovation Center HIVE in the Netherlands. The partners in the CTO of the Year Europe organisation are EIRMA, Orgalim and Spinverse.

WHO IS THE MOST INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY LEADER IN EUROPE? NOMINATE YOUR CANDIDATE FOR THE CTO OF THE YEAR EUROPE 2022 AWARD

February 24, 2022 Eerika Ala-Kantti

Nominations are now open for the title of European Chief Technology Officer of the Year. The 2022 awards will be given to the most inspiring, innovative, and visionary technology leaders in Europe. The award is organised by the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA), Orgalim, Europe’s Technology Industries, and Spinverse. The awards will be presented ensuing EIRMA’s CTO Forum on the 19th of May, 2022 hosted by UNILEVER Foods innovation Center HIVE in the Netherlands.

The European CTO of the Year Award was launched in 2014 to recognise the achievements of a person who is both an inspiring leader and a successful technology developer. The winners will be awarded in two categories to highlight the role of both SMEs and large corporations in supporting technology-based growth in Europe. The final winner will be selected by an international jury. whose members consist of high-level technology influencers in Europe.

This year the jury members are Malte Lohan, Director General of Orgalim, Europe’s Technology Industries, Pol Lombaert, Group Innovation Director at Beaulieu International Group, Tomas Hedenborg, Former President of Orgalim and Founder and CEO of Fabel Advisory, Amina Hamidi-Calvo, CTO of ABB Electrification and CTO of the Year Europe 2019 for large corporations, and Joeri Van Steen, CTO of Faktion and CTO of the Year Europe 2019 for SMEs. The secretary of the jury is Pekka Koponen, Founder and Chairman of Spinverse.

The call for nominations is open online until 31 March 2022 – nominate your candidate today at www.ctoeurope.net/nominate.

Innovator-in-chief: how CTOs unlock the potential of technology for Europe

November 21, 2019 Eerika Ala-Kantti

As the executive responsible at the highest level for technology development within a company, a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) leads R&D&I teams in the quest for new solutions to market needs. In doing so, they often shape innovations that address some of society’s biggest challenges in areas like energy, healthcare or mobility. The CTO of the Year Europe award recognises the work of these pioneering technology leaders. The 2019 edition was presented on 12 November at Orgalim’s ‘Reinventing Europe’s Industrial Leadership’ event: Amina Hamidi-Calvo (pictured left), CTO of ABB Electrification, claimed the title in the Large Enterprises category; while Faktion CTO Joeri Van Steen (pictured right) triumphed in the SME category.

We sat down with Amina and Joeri to talk about their journey so far, and how they view the role of a CTO both within a company and as a driver of innovation for society more broadly.

Congratulations on being named CTO of the Year Europe 2019! What does it mean to you to have won this award?

Amina: It’s a great honour and a wonderful recognition for me and my R&D team at ABB Electrification, who are innovating and working tirelessly on our new generation of technologies, products and solutions. I’m really proud of them and proud of the work we are doing.

Joeri: I also see it as a reward not only for myself but for my team. It is a tribute to the hard work we have put in over the three years since Faktion was founded: in addition to delivering between 20 and 30 customer projects, we have successfully incubated two AI products, which is a big challenge.

Tell us a little about your journey to get to where you are today…

Joeri: My path was a little unconventional, but I have always been an entrepreneur. While studying computer science at university, I was also a DJ playing at the biggest clubs in Belgium. I started my first company organising events, as we turned the house parties we would throw for a few hundred people into major gigs hosting thousands. Then when I was 26 or 27 I changed track, going from a professional producer and DJ to focus fully on technology. I moved into software consultancy and worked as interim CTO at other companies, before launching my first company building software applications. I subsequently co-founded Faktion, and this has been my focus ever since.

Amina: For my part, I first joined ABB as a scientist and project leader at our research centre in Switzerland, after completing a PhD in power electronics. After around ten years in R&D, I moved to the business side to explore new areas such as business development and general management. Over time I developed a unique competence spanning both the business world and the technology world, which is essential in my current role as CTO at ABB Electrification.

Explain to us what exactly a CTO does, and what are the most important qualities for a CTO to have?

Amina: There are a number of sides to a CTO’s role. An important one, as I just mentioned, is the task of bringing together the technology and business perspectives. I always tell my scientists when developing products, you have to think first and foremost about what will bring value to the customer, but also to consider that this innovation will need to be produced, sold, operated and serviced – so both sides of the coin are important.

Joeri: Totally agree – as a CTO you are responsible for ensuring tech development is aligned with the business. You can’t simply follow your own interests; you have business imperatives and you have to know how to deliver a customer project within budget and in a workable way.

Amina: Another important aspect from my perspective is that a CTO needs to stay ahead of the technology curve. At ABB it is really part of our DNA, so a key part of my role is ensuring we retain our technology leadership. Finally, a CTO is also a leader of people: we need to attract the right people with the right skills, and create a culture of innovation that inspires the best from our teams.

Joeri: Leadership is indeed a big part of it. Ultimately you are responsible for managing the whole engineering team, so for me it is crucial to have a clear process – roadmap, deadlines, strategy – in which the whole team is involved. Plus, it is important that every team member is involved in every aspect of the technology; collaboration at an early stage is vital to avoid problems down the line.

Clearly, then, CTOs have an important role in achieving business goals. But how do you view the impact of your work more broadly – how can the innovation you steer help address the challenges facing society?

Amina: Well at ABB our work on electrification centres on delivering safe, smart and sustainable electrical energy ‘from the source to the socket’. A number of our products significantly enhance safety for those operating electrical equipment. Moreover, we are innovating in many areas related to sustainability – from smart grid technology, energy efficiency in buildings, to electric mobility. For example, we are supporting adoption of electric vehicles by developing high-powered chargers that can give enough power to drive 200km with a charge of just eight minutes. This can strengthen public acceptance of this key future technology.

Joeri: At Faktion we engage to give back to society by collaborating with non-profit organisations to share our experience in building AI solutions, so they can see what innovation can do for them. For example, we worked on a project that aimed to use AI technology to improve early detection of Alzheimer’s disease through speech analysis – diagnostic medicine is a promising field where AI can make a difference.

Of course as a CTO you do not operate in a vacuum: in addition to business and market imperatives, what role does the regulatory and policy framework play – particularly in the EU context Orgalim works in?

Joeri: I’m fascinated by politics and policymaking, although I may not always agree with the results! Looking at Europe, I was interested to see that the EU is freeing up a budget specifically for R&I in AI. But the biggest problem if I compare the European research funding system with our national one is the speed: here in Belgium it takes just two or three months to secure a decent amount of funding, whereas going the EU route can take a while. Accelerating this process is a challenge I think Europe and the Commission should try to solve.

Amina: I certainly think policy has a daily impact on what we do. And I think it is a good idea to work closely with policymakers, because if we look ahead to the future when there is a higher level of electrification but also higher concerns about environmental impact, many of the technologies we develop will enable greater sustainability. So having a regulatory framework that will support the EU in this direction is important for us.

Which technology trends do you think will be most important for Europe in the coming years – and where will the challenges be in unlocking this potential?

Joeri: It won’t surprise you, but I would have to say AI. And a key challenge will be finding ways to share data, to make AI applications even smarter. Another obstacle is that the openness to embrace new tech like AI varies significantly across sectors. There is work to do to unlock the benefits across industries.

Amina: That rings true for me, too: different customer segments have different levels of acceptance of digital and connectivity; some are quicker to adopt while others are more cautious. A big piece of the puzzle is cybersecurity: a challenge for all new technologies is to ensure that data is completely secure. For us, cybersecurity is something we live every day as we know it is key for the adoption of digital technologies by our customers.

Finally, what advice would you give to the next generation of CTOs looking to walk in your footsteps?

Amina: CTOs should inspire innovation and unlock the creativity of their team. So my advice would be just go for it – be a role model for your R&D team, be that source of inspiration. Encourage your team to take risks, to go for innovation and to unlock the potential of technologies to bring value to customers and to society as a whole.

Joeri: The best advice that I can give is to be part of your team. As a leader, you set the example: if your team accepts you as a member of the team and as a friend, and they see that you work hard and are on top of the latest tech and industry trends, they will take inspiration from that. So be an example and motivate your people.

The CTO of the Year Europe is awarded by Orgalim, EIRMA and Spinverse. Read more about the award at www.ctoeurope.net.

The CTOs making technology work for Europe

November 20, 2019 Eerika Ala-Kantti

The CTO of the Year Europe award 2019 was presented at Orgalim’s ‘Reinventing Europe’s Industrial Leadership’ event on 12 November, with ABB’s Amina Hamidi-Calvo securing the title in the Large Enterprises category and Faktion’s Joeri Van Steen triumphing in the SME category. The award was created to pay tribute to the work of the Chief Technology Officers that foster a culture of innovation and make technology work for Europe.

But what exactly does a CTO do? How do they drive business development within their own companies, while fostering the innovation that can help address some of society’s biggest challenges? And what role does the EU policy framework play in how they approach these tasks?

A feature published this week in Euractiv takes a closer look at these questions, profiling the two winners of the CTO of the Year award and examining how CTOs lead their teams to transform lightbulb inspiration into real-world solutions across sectors.

Winners of 5th annual CTO of the Year Europe Award announced

November 13, 2019 Eerika Ala-Kantti

Celebrating the most prominent technology leaders of highly successful European companies, the CTO of the Year Europe 2019 Awards have been presented to Amina Hamidi-Calvo, CTO, ABB Electrification, and Joeri Van Steen, CTO, Faktion.

100+ leading figures from European industry assembled yesterday on 12 November at Orgalim’s ‘Reinventing Europe’s Industrial Leadership’ conference in Brussels for the announcement of the winners of the 2019 CTO of the Year Europe Award.

This prestigious international accolade is presented in recognition of the pioneering leaders driving European growth and prosperity through technology and innovation. It is awarded by Orgalim, EIRMA and Spinverse. An international jury of experts selected six finalists from nominations submitted from all over Europe, before ultimately choosing winners in two categories: Large Enterprises and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Recognising Europe’s best innovators

The winner in the category of Large Enterprises is Ms. Amina Hamidi-Calvo, CTO of ABB Electrification. Amina and ABB Electrification, part of the Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation ABB, are making their contribution to the economic competitiveness of Europe with safe, smart and sustainable electrification for utilities, industries, transport and infrastructure. “This is great recognition of ABB’s work in meeting the demands brought about by urbanisation, digitisation and a growing dependence on electrification,” commented Ms Hamidi-Calvo. “Technology really holds the key to improving how we can all live, work, and play more responsibly for the environment, underpinning thriving economies. I am delighted to accept this award and dedicate it to all the unsung heroes tirelessly making a positive difference each day through innovation and technology.”

The winner in the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises category is CTO of Faktion, Mr. Joeri Van Steen. Faktion is one of the fastest growing artificial intelligence (AI) scale-ups in Europe, which specializes in building AI, machine learning and deep learning solutions for some of the most innovative companies in the world. Joeri and the whole Faktion team are consistently beating larger players on natural language processing tasks like intent recognition and entity extraction. “This is a wonderful reward for the hard work not only of myself but of my team,” commented Mr Van Steen. “CTOs play a central role in driving innovation strategy and processes at a company and aligning this with business needs. These innovations can also make a difference to society, as in Faktion’s work with non-profit organisations on AI solutions to help address needs in areas like healthcare.”

“CTO of the Year Europe recognises those individuals who have advanced European competitiveness through innovation,” comments Tomas Hedenborg, Chairman of the Jury and President of Orgalim. “We are proud of all of our finalists and award winners for what they have accomplished. These pioneers embody European technology leadership at its finest, and are fantastic role models for the great talent at work across EU industry today.

Download the press release here.

Announcing the finalists of the Chief Technology Officer of the Year Europe awards 2019

October 23, 2019 Eerika Ala-Kantti

We are pleased to announce the finalists of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the Year Europe Award. Now in its fifth year, this award recognises the technology leaders driving European growth and prosperity through technology and innovation in two categories: Large Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME).

Finalists CTO of the Year Europe 2019:

Large Enterprises

Eike Böhm, CTO, KION Group AG
Erik Ekudden, CTO, Ericsson
Amina Hamidi-Calvo, CTO, ABB Electrification

SMEs

Samuel Myllykangas, Chief Strategy Officer, Blueprint Genetics
Joeri Van Steen, CTO, Faktion
Shahrouz Yousefi, CTO, ManoMotion AB

The finalists were selected from nominations submitted from all over Europe, based on their capacity to instigate positive change or make an impact on the growth and innovation of their company.

“The quality and experience of the candidates nominated this year is exceptional, and has made the jury’s decision particularly difficult. All finalists have shown to be outstanding role models who will inspire growth and strengthen European innovation and technology leadership", comments Tomas Hedenborg, Chairman of the Jury and President of Orgalim.

Award finalists will be recognised at the “Reinventing Europe’s Industrial Leadership” conference on 12 November 2019 in Brussels. During the event, these CTOs will take to the stage and discuss the role of CTOs and how they boost an organisation’s performance. The evening will draw to a close with the award ceremony for the winners.

On behalf of the Jury, Orgalim, EIRMA and Spinverse, we would like to congratulate all finalists.

Download the press release here.

About Orgalim
Orgalim represents Europe’s technology industries: companies that innovate at the crossroads of digital and physical technology. Our industries develop and manufacture the products, systems and services that enable a prosperous and sustainable future. Ranging from large globally active corporations to regionally based small and medium-sized enterprises, the companies we represent directly employ 11 million people across Europe and generate an annual turnover of around €2,000 billion. Orgalim is registered under the European Union Transparency Register – ID number: 20210641335-88.

For more information, visit www.orgalim.eu or follow us on Twitter: @Orgalim_EU and LinkedIn: Orgalim

Orgalim Press Contact
Eugenia Forcat, Director of Communications
Tel: +32 478 403032
eugenia.forcat@orgalim.eu

About Spinverse
Spinverse is a leader in innovation consulting, specialised in driving open innovation ecosystems, arranging funding and commercialising emerging technologies. Since Spinverse was founded in 2004, we have coordinated over €2.3 billion of large scale innovation programs and helped our customers access more than Є420 million of EU funding. Our services include creating and coordinating innovation ecosystems, technology and business consulting.

Spinverse Press Contact
Pekka Koponen, Chairman of Spinverse
Tel: +358 40 545 0008
pekka.koponen@spinverse.com

About EIRMA
EIRMA is an independent not-for-profit organisation that provides a European perspective on the global management of applied R&D and innovation. It engages 80+ major companies which are based in over 20 countries, operating in a wide range of sectors and gathering world-class R&D performers since 1966.

EIRMA Press Contact
Ernst Lutz, President of EIRMA
info@eirma.org

CTO of the Year Europe: recognising the pioneers championing technology innovation

July 4, 2019 Eerika Ala-Kantti

European companies are operating in a fierce global environment, facing rising competition from the US and Asia. At the same time, the urgency around sustainability is growing constantly – from addressing climate change, to resource scarcity, to population growth.

Technology can hold the key to mastering these challenges. So it is little wonder that the profile of Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) is on the rise in sectors across the EU. “CTOs are the individuals driving innovation across our industries,” highlights Orgalim Director General Malte Lohan. “At company level, I see plenty of tech leaders taking ownership of a business development role. And at the higher societal level, I believe CTOs will be central figures in reshaping our joint future.”

This is why Orgalim has decided to partner with the CTO of the Year Europe award – presented in recognition of prominent technology leaders, with the aim of highlighting the role of innovation as an enabler of European prosperity and progress. “Orgalim’s mission is to put innovation at the heart of the EU’s future,” explains Mr Lohan. “Joining forces with the CTO of the Year Europe award is a fantastic opportunity to promote the innovative strengths of European firms, as they help our industries shape a future that’s good for the EU and its citizens.”

The 2019 CTO of the Year Europe award will be presented at Orgalim’s ‘Reinventing Europe’s industrial leadership’ conference on 12 November in Brussels. Nominations are now open to individuals responsible for their company’s technology development at the highest level (nominees do not need to have ‘CTO’ in their title), with selection in two categories – SMEs and large corporations.

All the partners in CTO of the Year Europe award are encouraging companies in their network to put forward promising candidates and shine a deserved spotlight on the tech pioneers championing innovation in our industries!

Putting EU innovation centre stage: Orgalim partners with CTO of the Year Europe award

June 27, 2019 Eerika Ala-Kantti

Orgalim, the association representing Europe’s technology industries, has become a partner to the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of the Year Europe award – presented in recognition of the continent’s most prominent technology leaders.

Malte Lohan, Director General of Orgalim, Europe’s Technology Industries — **Malte Lohan**, Director General of Orgalim, Europe’s Technology Industries

Now in its fifth year, the CTO of the Year Europe award is designed to highlight the role of technology and innovation as drivers of European growth and prosperity, with previous winners hailing from global giants like Intel, Rolls-Royce and Solvay to agile growth businesses such as Avantium, Nanolive and Spinnova.

As of 2019, Orgalim will join Finnish innovation consultancy Spinverse and the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA) as a lead partner to the award. “Orgalim’s mission is to put innovation at the heart of the EU’s future,” explains Director General Malte Lohan. “Partnering with the CTO of the Year Europe award is a fantastic opportunity to promote the innovative strengths of European firms, as they help our industries shape a future that’s good for the EU and its citizens.”

“We are delighted to join forces with Orgalim for the CTO of the Year Europe award,” comments Pekka Koponen, award’s founder and Founder and Chairman of Spinverse. “Orgalim and its member organisations represent the companies that are investing the most in innovation and technology in Europe. CTOs play a key role in this.”

Nominations for the 2019 award are now open

Nominations for the CTO of the Year Europe 2019 are now open, and can be submitted at any time before 1 October 2019 via the nomination page. The award will be presented in two categories: Large Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME). While nominees do not need to have ‘CTO’ in their job title, they are responsible for technology development at their company. Moreover, they should be able to show how they have leveraged innovation to create a positive change or impact to the growth and performance of their companies. The winners will be inspiring change leaders and technological pioneers in their field.

Live pitching and award presentation on 12 November 2019

The award will be presented during the Orgalim conference ‘Reinventing Europe’s industrial leadership’ on 12 November 2019 in Brussels. In a new format, finalists will be invited to present live to the conference audience – and the audience will have the chance to vote for their preferred finalist, with the judges taking this into account when selecting the winners.

Download the press release here.

European CTOs of the Year 2018 awards highlight sustainability and open innovation

June 20, 2019 Eerika Ala-Kantti

Juha Salmela (European CTO of the Year 2018, Spinnova) and Nicolas Cudré-Mauroux (European CTO of the Year 2018, Solvay)

The CTO of the Year Europe 2018 awards were announced today during EU Industry Days in Brussels. The winners in both categories excel in driving sustainability through innovative use of technology in their companies and surrounding ecosystem.