GC Europe N.V.

The EFQM Excellence Awards 2016

GC Europe’s successful blending of Japanese and European cultures has been officially recognised by the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).

At the prestigious EFQM Excellence Awards in Milan, Italy, GC Europe was named EFQM Prize Winner in Leading with Vision, Inspiration and Integrity.

EFQM CEO Léon Tossaint told guests at the award ceremony that GC Europe was the embodiment of the successful merging of Japanese and European cultures within one company.

“As a result, the company and its associates share a very special bond which, together with a strong focus on improvement processes, allows GC Europe to constantly remain innovative and a leader within its business. The jury was especially impressed by the leadership behaviour driving the company and by the common values defined in the ‘GC No Kokoro’ framework, which unites all associates. Well done!”

GC Europe’s President, Michele Puttini, said the prize was a great honour and motivation for the company to develop its unique culture even further. “This recognition is another important step on the never-ending road to excellence,” Mr Puttini said. “It is the result of the leadership and engagement of all our associates, which I proudly represent.”

Fifteen organisations were nominated as finalists for the 2016 EFQM Excellence Award. The city of Alcobendas, Spain, won the premier EFQM Excellence Award, while eight other finalists won Prizes. A prizewinner is an organisation that can demonstrate role model standards within one specific “fundamental concept” with clear, outstanding results evidenced as “proven role model practice for learning”. Such an organisation has to be a driver for excellence across dimensions of the EFQM Excellence Model. Other prizewinners and finalists included major learning institutions, manufacturers and public utilities from Europe and beyond.

About the EFQM Excellence Award

The objective of the EFQM Excellence Awards is to recognise role model organisations in Europe and beyond, whether private, public or not-for-profit. These organisations are considered to have an indisputable track record of success in turning strategy into actions and continuously improving their performance. The EFQM Excellence Awards involve arigorous process in which independent experts spend an average of 500 hours assessing each applicant.

About EFQM

EFQM is a not-for-profit foundation with 25 years’ experience inhelpingorganisations from Europe and beyond reach sustainable excellence and then improve further. With its carefully designed portfolio of services and a strong network of 30,000 organisations – large and small, young and old – from all sectors, EFQM is recognised by institutions and their leaders as a key partner to success.

EFQM is also the custodian of the EFQM Excellence Model, a non-prescriptive framework created by a team of experts from industry and academia that can be used to gain a holistic view of any organisation, regardless of size, sector or maturity. Since its inception, the EFQM Excellence Model has been a blueprint for EFQM members and organisations across and beyond Europe to develop a culture of excellence, drive innovation and improve results.

GC Europe N.V.

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