Opening the event, President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs emphasised the talent of Latvian entrepreneurs and their ability to achieve excellent export results in a wide range of sectors: “I would like to thank entrepreneurs for their perseverance, creativity and ideas. Even in difficult moments you do not give up, and in the end you succeed,” said the President.
The “Export and Innovation Award” competition is the highest national award in business. It is organised by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Economics, the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB), the Latvian Exporters Association “The Red Jackets” and the development finance institution ALTUM.
The competition winners were selected by a jury composed of representatives from the Ministry of Economics, LIAA, the development finance institution ALTUM, the Central Statistical Bureau, the Latvian Exporters Association “The Red Jackets”, the Patent Office, the Bank of Latvia, the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics, “Luminor”, “SEB banka”, the Association of Latvian Young Scientists, the Employers’ Confederation of Latvia, the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Latvian Council of Science, “Delfi.lv”, the magazine “Ir Nauda”, while the tourism categories were evaluated by representatives of LIAA, the Latvian Convention Bureau, the Association of Latvian Travel Agents and Operators and the travel agency “Estravel Latvia”.
The jury assessed companies’ export performance and activities aimed at entering new markets, their investments in research and development, the added value created by the companies, as well as the quality of their presentations. Candidate selection was based on Central Statistical Bureau data, while companies in the Export Newcomer and tourism categories were invited to apply themselves.
More: Latvia’s highest national business awards – the Export and Innovation Award – presented | Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūra
