The Intrapreneur of the Year is about to be announced

The Intrapreneur of the Year is about to be announced

The Intrapreneur of the Year is a nationally recognised prize instituted by Talentia – the InterSearch Worldwide partner in Sweden – in 2009. Intrapreneur of the Year is awarded individuals that: “demonstrate an extraordinary ability to discover and implement new ideas as well as organize and create resources to achieve outstanding results”. The purpose of the prize is to acknowledge hidden heroes in companies.

Intrapreneur of the Year is awarded in May when the companies on the 33-list are announced. The 33-list is an annual list of the 33 most innovative companies in Sweden.

More than a heavy R&D-budget

According to Klas Karlsson, founder and CEO of Talentia – InterSearch Sweden, there are several reasons to award this prize.

“Our ambition is to find role models that inspire creativity and innovation in existing organizations. Not everyone has to become an entrepreneur and consequently, large companies are in need of intrapreneurs who contribute to development and innovation.”

– says Klas.

Since its launch in 2009 the prize has been awarded individuals from various industries, automotive, pharmaceutical, energy, and media among others.

“In our experience, there is a category of individuals whose exceptional initiatives, to the benefit of their employers, deserve recognition and appreciation.”

Klas Karlsson continues.

“Furthermore, we can see a disparity between the creation of ideas and their implementation. Intrapreneurs are characterised by their ability to implement and realize ideas in practice. Organizations seldom lack ideas. However, R&D- and innovation budgets must be matched with individuals capable of executing ideas to reach maximum effect.”

Even successful companies need intrapreneurship

Through Intrapreneur of the Year, Talentia intends to identify commonalities that characterise an intrapreneur which can help aspiring intrapreneurs to hone and develop these traits. The purpose of the prize is also to empower employers and managers to invest in and encourage intrapreneurship.

According to Klas Karlsson,

“even successful companies need to nurture intrapreneurial skills although the cost can be high. We know that established organizations with a leadership that encourage intrapreneurs are better equipped for growth and profitable disruption”.

*Read the original article published in the Swedish Business Journal Affärsvärlden.
Or find more information about Intrapreneur of the year at www.talentia.se (in Swedish)