2Oct2017
The City of Helsinki’s audit department has won the annual Finnish Excellence Award, awarded by Laatukeskus Excellence Finland.
Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Maria Lohela announced the winner on Monday evening at the VIP event after the speakers for the first day of the Nordic Business Forum had finished.
“Of course we are very proud of this distinction, but now the question is how we can utilize this in the city, so that the rest of Helsinki can learn from this example. I don’t think it is very common for an administrative public sector group to win these kinds of prizes,” said Helsinki’s Mayor Jan Vapaavuori, who was present for the award ceremony.
The Finnish Excellence Award is awarded annually by Laatukeskus Excellence Finland to an organization achieving the highest score in a series of external assessments that recognize excellence.
Laatukeskus Account Director Juha Tammi said the capital city’s 17-member auditing department won the award for its high-quality services and processes, and most especially, its great team spirit.
“It is clear that the auditing team really puts a lot of effort into its personnel. They are persistent about systemic development and getting everyone on board,” he said.
The Finnish Fair Foundation partners with Laatukeskus to grant a tax-free 30,000-euro prize to the winning team. In addition to the award, the European Foundation for Quality Management also recognizes the winning organization for excellence.
Pirjo Hakanpää, director of the Helsinki auditing department, says the award is a great achievement for both her department and for the city of Helsinki.
“Helsinki’s leaders have really encouraged our work and our development opportunities. Our team’s strengths are our talented personnel and our high level of expertise and competence in what we do.”
