CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 18 Consumer Electronics CEO of the Year 2022 (Europe): Morten Hoff A company that is incredibly proud of its staff and market segment – both parts of the business it has been able to build up from nothing – Wilfa AS has thrived under the guidance of outstanding business mind Morten Hoff. A Norwegian business school graduate that has worked across all levels of his company’s staff, he is intimately familiar with the challenges and opportunities that both his employees and customers face on a daily basis, carving out Wilfa AS’s place as a leading kitchen appliances provider in Europe. As the market leader in small kitchen appliances for Nordic countries, Wilfa AS has made a name for itself in selling to major retailers across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, as well as selling through export channels. Nominally, its export service delivers exemplary products through distribution centres; starting with Germany in 2020, there are centres now open in the UK, Netherland, and Poland in 2022, with more to open soon in Spain, France, Switzerland, and Austria. Diversifying its channels in this way has allowed it to expand into wider markets and reach different customer bases. Critically, its major focus is in kitchen appliances, with additional product lines in climate control and personal care, all falling under the outstanding umbrella of the Wilfa AS brand with all the level of quality and customer service that the brand denotes. Alongside the Wilfa AS brand, it also launched a brand called E-Way, which focused on e-commuting and electric kick scooters. Having started this brand in 2019, it launched it alongside a full assortment of kitchen knives, pots, and pans, all under the name of EGO that now enjoy an immaculate reputation amongst national chef teams in both Norway and Denmark. Moreover, Wilfa AS separates itself from other importers with the continuous strategy of striving for better that it incorporates into every element of the business from research and development to process management and meeting client expectations, forever striving to be the best of the best. Challenging market leaders in every category in which it operates, it has given many existing industry titans a serious run for their money. For example, challenging ORALB’s heavyweight status in the field of electric toothbrushes, as well as Moccamaster’s undisputed hold on the coffee maker business and Kenwood’s command of the kitchen machinery sector, it has proven itself to be an effective, forward-thinking, and flexible disruptor of the status quo. Additionally, such challenges only benefit the consumer in the long run, allowing them to benefit from a market that is always operating in a status of fierce competition and therefore does not get the luxury of stagnating at the top. Wilfa AS’s commitment to giving a customer the best product, in the best delivery times, with the most impeccable service, has made it a market leader across several commercial areas in which the top of the market has been previously staunchly dictated by one company, ensuring that innovation continues to be a core priority and leading by example to test bigger and better products year on year. From waffle makers to kitchen machines, coffee machines, ice makers, stickmixers, and humidifiers, it promises to continually go the extra mile for its clients at every turn. Thus, before it can become the best in the business, it ensures that it become the best in test. This means that it will always be ready to go above and beyond to ensure that its products can fulfil the needs of the target market, as well as hitting every strict parameter and specification that Wilfa AS expects as standard before it will be allowed to hit the shelves. Additionally, all products come with a 5-year warranty and a FSC marked gift box, mastercarton, and instruction manual that allows it to abide by environmental sustainability to the utmost degree during its impeccable service of its customers. As a part of this, it has gone to great lengths to remove Styrofoam from packaging where it can. Reducing its CO2 usage for tier 1 and 2 by 85% since 2019 -compensating this CO2 usage to become CO2 neutral at tier 1 and 2- its dedication to making the best products possible with May22115 A
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