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Sweden's Best Managed Companies

Recognising Swedish business excellence

Sweden's Best Managed Companies is an award program recognizing private Swedish-owned companies setting the highest standards of business performance. The program is sponsored by Deloitte in partnership with Swedbank.

What is Sweden's Best Managed Companies?

The program was initiated in Canada in 1993 and has since then become the country's leading business program for recognizing successful private companies. The program has been established for many years in countries such as Ireland, Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Denmark, and is now present in a total of 38 countries, with more planning to join soon.

Although the program is fundamentally a competition, coaching is an essential component. A team from Deloitte, together with the company, conducts an in-depth analysis that reveals the strengths and areas for development. The work provides a detailed assessment of the business, with a focus on strategic and operational issues.

A company can be named a Best Managed Company multiple years in a row, and all those who receive the award collectively form a strong family of successful businesses.

What distinguishes the Sweden’s Best Managed Companies program?

 

  • Focuses on privately owned Swedish companies
  • Rewards business development and sustainable growth
  • Highlights the entire company
  • Measures more than just economic development
  • The application process provides insights that can strengthen the company
  • The company becomes part of a global family of Best Managed Companies

 

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What constitutes a Best Managed Company?

Applicants are evaluated against the following criteria:

About the program

To enter the programme, companies must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Turnover in excess of SEK 250 million
  • Established for at least 5 years
  • Over 50 full-time employees
  • Majority stake (> 50%) stake owned by Swedish resident persons or entities

Could be:

- Privately owned Swedish company

- Swedish portfolio company controlled by private equity firms or a listed company if managed autonomously

- Swedish listed companies in non-regulated market owned >50% by founding family/founding group

  • HQ or major decision center in Sweden (operations can be abroad)
  • Fully compliant from legal, tax and ethical perspective
  • Managing finances effectively, adapting to changing market conditions, over the past three financial years

The following organisations are ineligible:

Credit institutions, banks, insurance companies, co-ops, listed companies, Swedish subsidiaries of foreign multinationals, government-owned entities/public sector agencies, charities and not-for-profit organisations and their affiliates and subsidiaries.

Application fee? 

Participation in the program is free of charge.

How do you become a Best Managed Company?

 

Step 1

Register for the program

Register for the program by completing the Phase I online application form.
All companies deemed eligible are then invited to complete a second, more detailed submission. You can find further information on eligibility under who can apply.

The Phase I application period to Sweden's Best Managed Companies 2025 closes on 31 January 2025.

 

Step 2

Complete your submission

Companies shortlisted for the Phase II process will work with coaches from Deloitte to complete their submission.

The Phase II application period to Sweden's Best Managed Companies 2025 closes in April 2025.

 

Step 3

Review of your submission

Submissions are reviewed by coaches and an independent judging panel.

 

Step 4

Winner announcement

Winners are announced at the award ceremony, which will be held in May 2025.

The award is open to all companies in Sweden who satisfy the eligibility criteria.

Companies will complete a Phase I and Phase II application online according to the Terms and conditions for Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies programme.

The Best Managed Companies will be selected by an independent judging panel of captains of industry according to the global Best Managed Companies framework in which management abilities and practices are assessed in the following domains: clear strategy, strong capabilities, company commitment and financial performance. The judging panel reserves the right to de-select an application at any stage of the programme.

The jury decision of Sweden's Best Managed Companies is solely based on the information provided by the applicant within the self-assessment. The applicant remains the responsible for the provided information. At no times, the jury decision could be interpreted as a professional attestation or opinion (based on the necessary audit steps). The judging panel’s decision, regarding the award of the Best Managed Companies programme and the companies that will be awarded, is indisputable.

A select group of independent comprises our judging panel