Pannon House: Opening speech

Your excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

The Crown Princess and I are happy to be here in Hungary on our first official visit to the country. My parents, King Harald and Queen Sonja, have spoken warmly of the hospitality they were shown during their state visit in 2002. My father also participated in the commemoration of the Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight of 1956 – in Budapest 2006.

Today around 800 Norwegians are studying at Hungarian universities – most of them following studies in medicine. The beautiful capital Budapest is also a popular tourist destination for Norwegians.

We have just had a guided tour of Pannon House. Pannon is obviously a front runner of green technology and environmental issues in Hungary. With the aim of reducing their own carbon footprints, the company is consciously working on minimising the negative impact on our environment.

In June, 1.500 employees took up their tasks in the new head-quarter here in Törökbálint. I hope that Pannon’s architectural and technological solutions will inspire those who have their daily work here as well as other companies operating in the region.

The heat-pump system based on renewable geothermic energy is the seventh of its kind in Europe and the second largest in Hungary. Two base stations are currently attaining 50 percent of their energy from solar and wind energy. A campaign to reduce energy consumption has been launched and more than 200 employees have received environmental training so far. These steps reflect Pannon’s environmental awareness. I am sure that Pannon will be an important partner for Hungary when it comes to further promoting and developing green technology.

Today there is hard competition for survival and growth. I believe those companies have an advantage who have a conscious strategy on creating a good work place for their employees and consider the company’s place in society – with a multiple responsibility.

Pannon has received prizes for “Best Workplace for Women 2007” and for the “Most Successful Company of the Year 2008”. They were also one of the first to receive the “Good Corporate Social Responsibility” award in Hungary. Last year more than 700 employees took part in charity work. I believe arranging work life in a way that enables and encourages people to do a voluntary effort is of great value – both for the business, for society and the individuals involved.

A corporate culture that emphasises economical, social and environmental aspects is a great asset for any country. Gábor Zoboki’s architecture underlines all of them – influenced by the “mother-office” of the Norwegian owner Telenor outside Oslo. I hereby declare Pannon House officially open – and hope it will serve as a positive example for other businesses in the region.

Thank you