Stockholm, Sweden—Darko Pervan, Välinge’s founder and former CEO, has been awarded the 2021 Founders Alliance Founder of the Year Honorary Award.
The Founder of the Year Honorary Award is said to be the organization’s most prestigious. The recipient is deemed to have made a lifelong contribution to sustainable and long-term company building and is a role model for other founders, businesses and society as a whole.
Pervan is a titan of the flooring world and is involved in the industry’s leading innovations, the company said. Apart from founding Välinge Innovation in 1993, he initiated and managed the development of the world’s first laminate floor. He also developed the first floor with a mechanical locking system in the early 90s and drove Välinge’s wood powder project that led to the innovative Woodura surface technology. Today, the company said he continues to revolutionise the industry as CEO of Pervanovo.
“Over the years, I’ve received many awards but this one is different,” Pervan said. “This award was given to me by my peers, other founders and entrepreneurs and that makes it extra special.”
The Founders Alliance is a collaborative business forum that was established here in 2002. Its modus operandi is to help founders of global growth companies and large-scale corporations to form long-term relationships that inspire, develop and enable more and better business.
“Darko is an extremely worthy winner of the Founder of the Year Honorary Award and everyone at Välinge is very proud of his achievement,” said Niclas Håkansson, CEO, Välinge Innovation. “Our company was built on Darko’s vision and drive and those principles guide us to this day as we continue developing our floor and furniture technologies and begin our journey to become the world’s largest, most innovative and sustainable flooring manufacturer and distributor in our chosen categories.”