The winners of the 2023 Grundfos People Awards were announced and honoured at an award ceremony hosted in Bjerringbro on 13 September.
2023 Community Engagement Award
Grundfos India won with their “Mentoring and Life-Skills Program” in partnership with Turning Point Educational Trust with the objective to empower 45 underprivileged government school students grades 9 to 12 who were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 disruptions in education.
Grundfos employees were involved in building curriculum focused on public speaking skills, self-confidence, and other transferable life skills. Over a period of nine months, some 40 Grundfos India employees dedicated 120 hours through seven sessions to enable these students to thrive in a positive educational environment. The € 20,000 award prize will be used to scale and stabilize the NGOs operations in three learning centers in Kannagi Nagar, and Chennai, benefitting 500+ underprivileged children in a two-year time frame.
2023 Grundfos People Awards ceremony. From left: Ramesh Sivasubramanian, EVP and Divisional CEO of DBS Morten Bach Jensen, and Apoorva Manichandar. Photo: Lars Holm
2023 Culture Ambassador Award
The award was given to 3 individual winners, each role-modelling Grundfos values and key behaviours.
- Lina Castro, Grundfos Colombia
Lina’s care for sustainability and customer satisfaction is an excellent example of how we should think and behave as Grundfos Pioneers. She is highly active in different initiatives, from cost savings, throughout CO2 savings, community involvement, DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion), reverse mentorships, and others. Lina is clearly a role model of the Grundfos culture, especially visible and inspiring for many colleagues in Latin America. - Hariharan Muralidharan, Grundfos India
In the post pandemic scenario, various external factors caused severe import shipment delays, impacting the customer delivery performance. In 2022, there was a huge surge demand in CM Booster pumps by 50% up against monthly average, in May and June. This could only be met by ramping the production through increased manpower. Hariharan is a critical resource in CM Booster production line, who pushed his boundaries to meet the customer requirements, while ensuring quality products are delivered.
- Mai Fruergaard Hansen, USA, MEKO (GCI)
Mai relocated to Mandeville, Louisiana Nov 1, 2021, to become the PMI lead for the Grundfos acquisition of MECO. She was the epitome of a “Cultural Ambassador” for Grundfos and has successfully earned the trust, respect and fellowship of the entire MECO team. Her work, demeanor and personality are of the highest class. She conducts herself with the utmost professionalism and integrity combined with a warm and fun personality. In short, she “raises the bar” and sets an example for all of us what it means to be Grundfos.
2023 Grundfos People Awards. From left: Lina Castro, Hariharan, EVP and Divisional CEO of CBS Bent Jensen, and Mai Fruergaard Hansen. Photo: Lars Holm.
2023 Environmental Impact Award
This year’s winning project is a One stop Turnkey system solution with customer centric approach to a pharma customer in India to save his 170 MT CO2 emissions annually. The idea has proven positive impact with reduced energy consumption and CO2 emission, which can be scaled to other businesses and regions, and which already has led the way and inspired more pharma companies to seek a more energy efficient solution together with Grundfos.
- Winners: Girish Siddheshwar, Ashish K Solanki, Chetan Khamkar, and Ashutosh Shah from Grundfos India
Close collaboration with partners and going beyond our own product into a fuller solution is proven good for the planet, for greater collaboration and for our business.
2023 Grundfos People Awards. From left: Girish Siddheshwar, Ashish K Solanki, Chetan Khamkar, Ashutosh Shah, and Grundfos CEO Poul Due Jensen. Photo: Lars Holm.
2023 Health, Safety and Well-being Award
This year’s winner is the Service Automated Risk Assessment (SARA) , a Grundfos developed app that enables a user-friendly, on-site risk assessment for service technicians, allowing them fast and simple to decide if to continue or pause a service job.
- Winner, Angel Guía, Grundfos Spain
The app improves the health and safety conditions for many colleagues in our service organization, and it is encouraging to see a local idea being picked up and rolled out globally.
2023 Grundfos People Awards. From left: Mikael Geday, EVP & CFO, and winner Angel Guía. Photo: Lars Holm.
2023 Grundfos Innovation Award
Sustainability winners: Heine Andersen, Abdul-Sattar Hassan, Agisilaos Tsouvalas, Carsten Skovmose Kallesøe, Krisztian Mark Balla, and Joakim Børlum Deleuran
“Optimal Water Tower Filling for Sustainable Energy and Water Sustainability” is the 2023 winner of the Sustainability category due to the high energy saving potential. The concept applies algorithms and energy price volatility data to support utilities transition to green water networks while reducing operating costs. The Jury highlighted the simple value proposition that connects water and energy.
2023 Grundfos People Awards. From left: Joakim Børlum Deleuran, , Agisilaos Tsouvalas, Krisztian Mark Balla, Carsten Skovmose Kallesøe, and Abdul-Sattar Hassan. Photo: Lars Holm.
Technology winners: Anders Overgaard, Carsten Skovmose Kallesøe, and Mogens Groth Nicolaisen
“Chiller Insights” is the 2023 winner of the Technology category due to the idea’s contribution to solve a real problem. By leveraging insights from distributed pumping system as the “system brain” to control the chiller temperature, the cooling system runs at highest efficiency. Furthermore, the Jury emphasized that the concept builds on Grundfos core strengths, is scalable and add digital value.
2023 Grundfos People Awards. From left: Ulrik Gernow, EVP & COO, Mogens Groth Nicolaisen, Anders Overgaard, and Carsten Skovmose Kallesøe. Photo: Lars Holm.
Business Development winners: Ilaria Calò, Daniele Spirolazzi, and Stefano Zamblera, Italy.
“Grundfos System Reliability Engagement (SRE)” is the 2023 winner of the Business Development category due to its innovative customer engagement approach and use of Grundfos’ holistic knowledge to address customer pain points on reliability, cost or energy. It is like taking energy optimization service to next level. The concept is co-developed and validated with customers to prove tangible customer value.
2023 Grundfos People Awards 2023. From left: Stefano Zamblera Ilaria Calò, and Daniele Spirolazzi. Photo: Lars Holm.
2023 Grundfos Scholarship
- Rajput Govind Govind Dilip Bhai, India
Scholarship: Digital Manufacturing and Smart Factories
Rajput demonstrates passion for his professional field of expertise and is enthusiastic about his journey in Grundfos and the opportunity to create further value by utilizing and applying new technologies in Grundfos manufacturing and distribution. - Ivan Jesus Navas Plata, Peru
Scholarship: Mechatronics Engineering
Strong commitment from Ivan Jesus to contribute on improving processes and performance at Grundfos Peru. This scholarship allows Ivan Jesus to study mechatronic engineering for the benefit of Grundfos and our customers locally in many years to come. - Bozena Seredynska-Sobecka, Denmark
Scholarship: Diverse talents in tech: Rising Leader
Bozena shows a clear motivation to release own potential and build the foundation for advancing into a leadership position. She thinks ahead and has the ambition to eventually role model females in leadership positions and support developing female talents. - Mark Neil de los Reyes, Philippines
Sholarship: Diploma in Water and Wastewater Treatment Technology at IHE Delft, Netherlands
Mark shows a real passion for both his professional field of expertise and the positive effects he can create for people, communities, and the environment. He is enthusiastic about his journey in Grundfos and the opportunity to advance further professionally by learning new technical skills very much linked to our overall strategy and WU Wastewater focus. - Katalin Sipos, Hungary
Scholarshup: Bachelor of Human Resources
Katalin’s application clearly shows her commitment and focus on driving her personal development forward also for the benefit of Grundfos! This scholarship allows her to continue the path she has already chosen and actively prioritized. - Niklas Sorge, Germany
Scholarship: Bachelor Professional in Technik with specialization in mechatronics
Niklas displays passions within his work and have clear ambitions for further education to develop professionally and within Grundfos. He has shown high commitment to release further potential by initiating an education next to his job and have ambitions to do a difference for Grundfos within manufacturing and automation.
2023 Grundfos People Awards. from left: Ulrik Gernow, EVP & COO, Bozena Seredynska-Sobecka, Denmark, Ivan Jesus Navas Plata, Peru, Rajput Govind Govind Dilip Bhai, India, Mark Neil de los Reyes, Philippines, and Niklas Sorge, Germany. Photo: Lars Holm.