Company, Business Manager and Listed Company awards for 2010

8 november 2010 The Future of Entrepreneurship seminar published the Company, Business Manager and Listed Company awards for 2010 on Monday. The jury awarded Steerprop Ltd, Managing Director Jaakko Hyvärinen, and KONE Corporation, respectively. Steerprop Ltd Founded in 2000 in Rauma, western Finland, Steerprop Ltd delivers propulsion solutions for maintenance vessels working at oil drilling and production platforms in demanding offshore conditions. Steerprop's net sales are fully derived from the global market. The company's key success factors are engineering excellence, specialisation and marketing. The jury considered Steerprop Ltd a prime example of a Finnish growth and success story on the global market, deriving its success from top expertise and specialisation. Jaakko Hyvärinen The Business Manager of the year is Endeas Oy's Managing Director Jaakko Hyvärinen (54) from Espoo. An M.SC. in electrical engineering, Jaakko Hyvärinen founded his company in 2001 in a management buy-out deal with his then employer Fortum. Endeas makes solar cell simulators for solar panel manufacturers. Most of Endeas's customers and markets are in China, and the company's net sales are derived from abroad in full. Endeas is the only company of its kind in Finland, with only a few competitors worldwide. The jury said that Jaakko Hyvärinen had created a commercial success story in a short space of time with the innovation he had patented. It is a story of an innovator, pioneer and an entrepreneur that believes in his vision. The company's future prospects are excellent and its potential is immeasurable. KONE Corporation The Listed Company of the Year is KONE Corporation, which installs, maintains and modernises elevators, escalators and automatic building doors. It stood out from other Finnish listed companies through its financial performance and successful implementation of its strategy. KONE's return on investment in 2005-2009 was an average of 26.4%, which is considerably better than other European companies that provided industrial products and services in the same period.  The jury said that KONE's investor relations were active and consistent. In recent years, KONE has focused on energy-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions. KONE's future prospects are improved in the jury's view because emerging countries are becoming more urbanised and because energy efficiency requirements are becoming more stringent. Future of Entrepreneurship Organised jointly by OP-Pohjola Group and Kauppalehti, the "Future of Entrepreneurship" seminar focuses on the outlook for SMEs and influential business players. The seminar is participated in by hundreds of small and medium-sized companies and business managers from around Finland. The competitions are run by Kauppalehti/Balance Consulting, and the award winners are chosen by a jointly appointed jury. Speakers at the seminar include state and business representatives, business executives and entrepreneurs, such as Prime Minister Mari Kiviniemi this year.  For more information, please contact: Chairman of the jury Tony Vepsäläinen, President of OP-Pohjola Group Central Cooperative, tel. +358 (0)10 252 4020 Jorma Raike, Director, Kauppalehti Corporate Services, tel. +358 (0)40 707 8572 OP-Pohjola Group is Finland's largest financial services group providing a unique range of banking, investment and insurance services. The Group has the mission of promoting the sustainable prosperity, well-being and security of its owner-members, customers and operating regions through its local presence. Its objective is to offer the best and most versatile package of loyal customer benefits on the market. OP-Pohjola Group consists of over 200 member cooperative banks and the Group's central institution, OP-Pohjola Group Central Cooperative, with its subsidiaries and closely-related companies, the largest of which is the listed company Pohjola Bank plc. [HUG#1459897] This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: Pohjola Pankki Oyj via Thomson Reuters ONE