Bo Wiklund and Jonas Wiklund are awarded the medal for establishing and developing a sustainable cheimcals company with a unified logistics chain. Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, presented the medals at the annual celebration of the Swedish Royal Patriotic Society, May 13, at Moderna Museet. There were nine recipients of the Enterprise Medal in 2024.
Born into a family of entrepreneurs, Bo Wiklund founded a business of his own in Piteå in 1986 – Wibax. The company purchases, processes and sells chemical products to primary industries across Europe. The company is now run by his three sons, with his son Jonas as CEO, and 350 employees. Operations are worldwide and there are subsidiaries throughout the Nordics. The latest major customer is the Northvolt battery plant in Skellefteå.
The citation reads “For creating and developing a sustainable chemicals company with a unified logistics chain”, explains Kjell Blückert, Permanent Secretary of the Royal Patriotic Society. The nomination was made by Gunilla Engelbert, member of the Society.
Good chemistry is the motto under which Wibax seeks to “impact the natural environment and the climate as little as possible”. They offer, among other things, biological alternatives to fossil fuels. Vegetable oils do not burden the atmosphere with greenhouse gas emissions, and are exempt from various taxes.
“I feel very happy and honoured to receive these medals”, says recipient Jonas Wiklund. “Above all, it feels particularly great that more people are seeing and appreciating the work that we have done over the years. We are very proud of being a key component in the Swedish primary industry, and contributing to its competitive power by offering cost-effective inputs. We are proud of being able to influence an entire industry in moving towards a more sustainable world, for instance through our environmental targets. But our greatest pride is the number of jobs we have created all over the Nordics.”
Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, presented the medals at the annual celebration of the Swedish Royal Patriotic Society, May 13, at Moderna Museet.
See the full interview (in Swedish) in the presentation film:
https://youtu.be/1BphjD1FZc8
About the Enterprise Medal
In 1982, the Swedish Royal Patriotic Society instituted a special award medal to celebrate meritorious, individual contributions to Swedish enterprise – a medal for gainful deeds in Swedish enterprise. The award is given for leadership efforts on an owner basis. The medal is awarded following a decision by the management committee of the Society, following nominations by its members and previous recipients of the Enterprise Medal. The medal, which is made of gold, is awarded in the Society’s first size (equivalent to the 11th size on the Berch scale, 41 mm).
2024 recipients of the Enterprise Medal:
Johan Axelsson and Stefan Axelsson, Axelent Group (Jönköping County)
Helena Casserlöv-Kvist, Meritmind (Stockholm County)
Bertil Edner and Britt-Marie Forsberg, Bona (Skåne County)
David Ekelund and Eliza Törnkvist, Icebug (Västra Götaland County)
Bo Wiklund and Jonas Wiklund, Wibax (Norrbotten County)
