Liia Nõu has been named Ruter Woman of the Year 2022 – an honorary award given to the woman who has been promoted to the most influential managerial position in Swedish business during the past year.
Ruter Dam of the Year 2022 is awarded to Liia Nõu, who since August 2021 has been CEO of the real estate company Pandox. Liia has a successful career within Pandox, where she has been CFO since 2007 until she was appointed CEO. Liia Nõu's previous experience includes senior positions at General Electric, Song Networks, Tele2, Q8, American Express and Icon Medialab.
- I feel very honored to be named Ruter Dam of the Year 2022 and am very happy if my experiences can also inspire others in their careers. Pandox's strong value base with a focus on the team combined with individual freedom in decisive situations is an important reason why I have reached where I am today. I am full of admiration for the work that is carried out within the framework of Ruter Dam whose work is at least as important and relevant today as when it was founded 35 years ago, says Liia Nõu
Pandox is a property company that owns and rents hotel properties to leading hotel operators. Pandox was founded in 1995 and today owns 156 hotels with approximately 35,500 rooms in 15 countries. Pandox is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Large Cap and has a market capitalization of just over SEK 20 billion. In 2021, Pandox's net sales were SEK 3.2 billion.
- Pandox was hit hard by the past pandemic where the entire hotel market was paralyzed. Liia Nõu then showed strong and mature leadership, which resulted in them quickly adapting to the new conditions and changing their business models. This helped them ride out the storm as a stronger company and be better equipped for the future. Liia and Pandox also have strong and modern values that pervade the entire business. In addition, they not only have sustainability goals for the environment and climate, but also guidelines for responsible and fair business, safe guests, an attractive workplace and inclusive local communities. This modern approach and leadership means that we see Liia Nõu as a true role model and a worthy recipient of Ruter Dam in 2022, says Marika Lundsten, CEO of Ruter Dam.
The honorary award Ruter Dam of the Year has been awarded every year since 1990. The awardee is appointed by Ruter Dam's CEO Marika Lundsten together with the board consisting of Gunnel Duveblad, Anna Borg, Heléne Mellquist, Karin Eliason and Eva Krutmeijer. The selection process takes into account the company's size, turnover and the female manager's degree of power and influence. Ruter Dam's board continuously monitors appointments at the highest management levels. At a jury meeting, it is decided which woman has been promoted to the highest position with the greatest responsibility in Swedish business during the year.
Last year, the honorary award of Ruter Dam 2021 went to Anna Borg, president and CEO of Vattenfall. Before that, the award for their positions at the time went to Helena Helmersson, CEO of the H&M group (2020), Carina Åkerström, CEO of Handelsbanken (2019). Petra Einarsson, president and CEO of BillerudKorsnäs (2018) and Susanne Ehnbåge, president and CEO of Nordic NetOnNet (2017). Among previous award winners are also Helena Stjernholm, CEO of Industrivärden, Mia Brunell Livfors, CEO of Axel Johnson, Sonat Burman Olsson, former CEO of Coop Sweden, Annika Falkengren, former CEO of SEB and Ann Carlsson, CEO of Apoteket AB.
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