Woman of the Year in Swedish Sports Industry 2011: Eva Karlsson

Eva Karlsson, CEO of outdoor company Houdini Sportswear, has been named Woman of the Year in the Swedish sports industry 2011. The award was presented by Minister for Gender Equality Nyamko Sabuni at the Swesport trade fair. The award was established by Divas, the women’s network within the Swedish sports industry, initiated and run by Svenskt Sportforum.

60 women were nominated for the award, and the jury’s final choice fell on Eva Karlsson. The nomination reads as follows:

“By taking Houdini Sportswear from being one company among many to a prominent player on the Swedish sports market, she has shown that she well meets the business requirements we have for the award recipient. That the female employees in particular praise her leadership qualities and ability to inspire convinces us that she is a worthy winner. Woman of the Year in the Swedish sports industry 2011 is Eva Karlsson.”

– Eva has done fantastic work at Houdini, and it’s great that she gets recognition for it, says Jenny Tirén Berg, Project Manager for Divas and Communications Director at Svenskt Sportforum.

The award was established as part of Divas’ work to get more women into leadership positions in the Swedish sports industry – something that is currently in short supply. The purpose of the award is both to highlight the women who have made it to the top and to provide positive role models for other women who want to advance in the industry.

– I’m of course very happy about this award, says Eva Karlsson, and especially that it’s my colleagues who nominated me. It’s thanks to them and the entire Houdini team that we’ve achieved such success.