KEMA nominated for Koning Willem I Prize 2008.

April 24 - KEMA has a chance of winning the prestigious Koning Willem I Prize 2008. The board of the Koning Willem I foundation, chaired by president of the Dutch Bank Dr. A.H.E.M. Wellink, has announced the names of the six companies that are nominated; three in the category of up to 250 employees and three in the category with more than 250 employees.

Among the large companies, KEMA, Fugro and VanDerLande Industries B.V. are competing for the highest honor. In the companies up to 250 employees that is Xsens Technologies, Solland Solar Cells and Software Improvement Group B.V. Decisiveness, audacity, perseverance and innovation are the most important criteria that a company must satisfy to be able to win the Koning Willem I Prize.
 
Selection
The selection of the nominees and the final winners of the Koning Willem I Prize 2008 will be made by the board of the foundation, supported by four regional selection commissions. The two prize winners will be announced on 29 May 2008 during a gala evening in the Theater Diligentia in The Hague; one in the category of up to 250 employees and one in the category with more than 250 employees. 2008 is the 50th year of the Koning Willem I Prize and it will be awarded for the 25th time.  

King William I
The Koning Willem I Prize takes it name from the entrepreneur King William I. Among other things, he commissioned the digging of a large number of canals, such as the Zuidwillemsvaart, the Noordhollandskanaal and the canal from Ghent to Terneuzen. King William also had the first railway line laid between Haarlem and Amsterdam. The prize was established in 1958, by the Dutch Bank, of which King William was also the founder (1814) and is actively supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The Koning Willem I Prize is considered to be the most prestigious business award.