The Skellefteå final was the sixth and final of a total of six regional finals held during the autumn. All of the winners of tonight’s grand finals will face the winners of the other five regional finals, when the national finals are held in Stockholm City Hall in January 2022. The national winner of the main prize, EY Entrepreneur of the Year, will then be representing Sweden in Monte Carlo in June, where entrepreneurs from all over the world compete for the title of the world’s foremost entrepreneur.
In the mid 1990’s, Jonas Wiklund began working in the company that was founded by his father, and in 2012 he took over as head of the group. Wibax Group AB sells, purchases, processes and distributes liquid chemical products and bio oils to primary industries in Europe. The group consists of subsidiaries in Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Norway. In 2018, the turnover for Wibax Group first exceeded one billion SEK.
“It was, as it always is, tough to pick a winner among all the fantastic entrepreneurs. However, Jonas really earned the title of northern Sweden’s foremost entrepreneur. He is pioneering in the field of sustainable development and optimal resource use, and his business just keeps growing”, explains Ragnhild Backman, chairman of the jury.
The jury’s citation read:
“The winner of ‘EY Entrepreneur of the Year’ is building impressive, profitable growth in a mature market, aiming to double the turnover again. Leadership with strong teams, order and structure, has developed dependable supply and built trust that is second to none. Operations run smoothly and efficiently, with truckloads of new opportunities. The entrepreneur has also built an academy, shaped by the core value of good chemistry.”
The winners in northern Sweden were selected by an external, independent jury, consisting of jury chairman Ragnhild Backman, CEO, Backmans Fastighetsutveckling AB, Jonas Olert, owner, Olert Holding Group, Petter Mikaelsson, founder, Kung Fu Invest AB, Niklas Jonsson, CEO, Norrlandsfonden, Sofia Ekström, partner & CEO, Ekström Invest AB.
