Washington, D.C., Sept. 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands presented the 2020 Holland on the Hill Heineken Award to IBM in a socially-distanced ceremony at the residence of Ambassador André Haspels. Michelle Browdy, Senior Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, and General Counsel, accepted the award on behalf of IBM.
The Holland on the Hill Heineken Award recognizes industry and business leaders who strengthen the economic relationship between the Netherlands and the United States through entrepreneurship. In times when we have to stimulate economic recovery due to the pandemic, transatlantic cooperation remains crucial.
IBM is an innovative company that excels in the fields of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. A noted leader in technology, IBM has ties firmly rooted in the United States and the Netherlands.
“When it comes to innovation and sustainability, IBM is a company that sets a path for others to follow. In the Netherlands, that innovation can be seen in IBM’s partnerships with Dutch universities and its role in the creation of the Dutch National AI Coalition,” said Ambassador Haspels. “The company is forward thinking in sustainability with its Smarter Planet strategy, which complements Dutch sustainability efforts. IBM and the Netherlands are a true transatlantic economic success story anchored in shared values.”
IBM has been active in the Netherlands since 1920, and the company now employs several thousand people throughout the country.
“IBM’s connections to the Netherlands run long and deep. The Netherlands is one of IBM’s most strategic and important locations in Europe. With political and economic stability and an open attitude towards international trade, investment, cooperation and new ventures, the Netherlands is a natural ally and perfect fit for us,”Browdy said. “It is an honor to accept the Holland on the Hill Heineken Award on behalf of IBM in a year that marks the 100th anniversary of IBM doing business in the Netherlands.”
The Holland on the Hill Heineken Award is named after Freddy Heineken, who was sent to the United States in the 1940s to establish the Heineken brand overseas. Once he returned to the Netherlands, Heineken used the innovative marketing skills he acquired in the US to make Heineken one of the world’s most recognizable brands. By combining American marketing techniques and his Dutch entrepreneurial spirit, Heineken increased sales by 260 percent.
The Holland on the Hill program was developed in 2014 to highlight the shared values between the Netherlands and the US. Jointly created by the United States Congressional Caucus of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Netherland-American Foundation, the Heineken Award has been presented to Alexander R. Wynaendts of Aegon N.V. (2019), David Hyman of Netflix (2018), Dick Boer of Ahold Delhaize ( 2017), Victoria B. Mars of Mars Inc. (2016), Paul Polman of Unilever (2015), and Werner Vogels of Amazon.com (2014).
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