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.
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.
For more information about the award, visit https://www.ctoeurope.net.
The CTO of the Year Europe is awarded by EIRMA, Orgalim, and Spinverse.
