The Emerging Market Champions Award, awarded by The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation, aims to promote leaders of entrepreneurship - Polish firms developing operations abroad as well as companies from emerging markets investing in Poland. During this year's European Forum for New Ideas, CEMEX Polskasp. z o.o. and Amica SA were named the winners of the third edition of the Award.
The Award is given in two categories: "Polish investments abroad" and "Foreign investments in Poland". Commemorative statuettes were presented by Sławomir S. Sikora, the originator of the award and president of Citi Handlowy, and by Andrzej Olechowski, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bank Handlowy in Warsaw. The organizer of the competition is The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation.
"Already for the third time we have presented the award for the best Polish firms successfully operating abroad and for entities from emerging markets conducting business in Poland. This year's winners are, on the one hand, a Polish brand which is operatingeffectively outside the country's borders, and on the other hand, a representative of an emerging market, Mexico's CEMEX, which is investing heavily in Poland and confirms Citi's diagnosis that investment flows between emerging markets will grow. This diagnosisis the cornerstone of the Emerging Market Champions program targeting firms like CEMEX,through which we serve around 400 entities in Poland. Both the debate and the awards presented during this year's EFNI confirmed that despite a macroeconomic and geopolitical environment full of challenges, we should not give up on international cooperation, and that free trade and free movement of capital are among the most important achievements of recent decades in the world economy," says Sławomir S. Sikora, the president of Citi Handlowy and originator of the Emerging Market Champions Award.
In the first category, the winner was Amica SA, honored for its consistently implemented plan of expansion abroad. As part of a 10-year development strategy adopted in 2014, the firm is systematically conducting acquisitions of foreign companies well-established and recognized in local markets.
"Amicatoday has an annual turnover of around 650 million euros, out of which over 70% is generated on foreign markets, especially European ones. Our biggest clients outside Poland can be found in Germany, Britain, Scandinavia, and Russia. In line with our strategy, we plan to expand our operations in other major European markets: France, Spain, the Benelux countries, and Italy. As a result, Amica has a great future ahead of it. I would like to thank the members of the Award Committee very much for appreciating the work we have done," said Jacek Rutkowski, president of Amica SA in a speech.
In the second category of the Award, the firm CEMEX Polska sp. z o.o.was named the winner for the steady development of its operations in Poland, numerous investments, and creation of new jobs. Deserving of special attention is itsunique ecological investment in the Chełm Cement Works (2013), which is a benchmark for the industry worldwide.
"In our operations we attach great importance to workplace safety and hygiene, where we are one of the industry leaders, including the winner of first place in the Polish edition of theEuropean Healthy Workplaces Good Practice Award. We are also the industry leaders in the field of sustainable development, whose elements include production in a sustainable manner (an example of such production is the over 80% share of alternative fuels replacing coal at the Chełm Cement Works). We engage in open and regular dialogue with local communities around our major plants, in an effort to discuss and together solve problems. Through our 'CEMEX We Are Building the Future' Foundation, we regularly and systematically support local initiatives and NGOs," says Włodzimierz Chołuj, a member of the board of CEMEX Polska.
The idea behind the Emerging Market Champions Award is to promote positive practices in international economic activities as well as to build up the image of entrepreneurship in the public consciousness and break down stereotypes.
Nominations for the competition are made by a Council of Experts bringing together individuals from a variety of fields important for public and economic life in Poland, including: former and current ministers, mayors, college rectors, ambassadors to Poland from emerging markets, representatives of chambers of commerce and the media. This year the 114 members of the Council nominated 82 candidates. On the basis of the submitted nominations, the winners were selected by the Award Committee under the chairmanship of Andrzej Olechowski, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bank Handlowy w Warszawie. The Committee consisted ofHenrykaBochniarz, president of the Lewiatan Confederation; MichałBroniatowski, editor-in-chief of Forbes monthly; Solange Olszewska, co-owner and advisor to the Board of Solaris Bus & Coach; Janusz Steinhoff, chairman of the Board of the National Chamber of Commerce; Beata Stelmach, president of GE in Poland and the Baltic states; and Bartłomiej Pawlak, acting President of the Polish Agency for Information and Foreign Investment.
