The title of the Best in the Motivation category and thus a place in the 2017 best practice finale in the opinion of the event participants, the committee, and the active listener goes to Lidl Slovenija for the project Together in a Battle: Paralympic athletes and Lidl Slovenija. Tina Cipot, the representative of Lidl Slovenia, said after receiving the award that when searching for an excuse and saying we could not do something, or that this is not the right time, or that we will do it later, we should remember the disabled athletes who overcome obstacles every day and thus prove that we are all able to do more.

With the Best of the Best program, AmCham Slovenia continues to present and to award the best business practice in the Slovenian business environment. Passionate individuals and groups who motivate the Slovenian business environment by supporting and strengthening positive values with projects which foster their employees’ sense of belonging to the company and their enthusiasm, by sharing and gaining new knowledge, and by connecting with and offering their support to different social groups presented themselves in the Motivation category.

Ajša Vodnik, MSc, CEO of AmCham Slovenia shared her thoughts: "It is incredible to be inspired by others. Our sportsmen give us so much but the stories from the business world are told much too seldom. I am therefore very happy that companies participate in the Best of the Best program because their excellent ideas and energy give us the reason and the confirmation that the AmCham business community really is on the right track of optimism and opportunity. I would like to congratulate all the winners and all who participate in these best stories".     

The following projects were presented in the Motivation category:

1. Bisnode, Bismart;

2. Borzen, Video Content;

3. Lidl Slovenija, Together in a Battle: Paralympic Athletes and Lidl Slovenija.

The title of the Best in the category of Motivation and thus a place in the 2017 best practice finale in the opinion of the event participants, the committee, and the active listener goes to Lidl Slovenija for the Together in a Battle project: Paralympic Athletes and Lidl Slovenija. Even though all the projects deserve to win since they bring optimism to our business environment and create new opportunities, Lidl Slovenija persuaded the audience by being bold, enthusiastic, by wanting to do good, and of course, by motivating all project participants.

The active listener Mr. Primož Zupan, Director at Hal MBills, explained that it was hard for him to select the winner. "It is hard to select the best from such inspiring projects which are bold and have the will to go further. They are all winners and I am convinced that this is just the start and the first step for us to do even more. But since a winner has to be selected, I chose Lidl Slovenija,” added Mr. Zupan.

Tina Cipot, the representative of Lidl Slovenia, said after receiving the award that when searching for an excuse saying we cannot do something, or this is not the right time, or that we will do it later, we should remember the disabled athletes who overcome obstacles every day and thus prove that we are able to do more. "The story we wrote at Lidl Slovenija together with the paralympic athletes is much more than just a story about partnership; it is a story that motivates, inspires and changes—us, you, and the world—for the better," she said. "This prize will motivate us to put even more energy and boldness into the projects which are already on their way to be presented to the public soon," concluded Mrs. Cipot.

Together in a Battle: Paralympic athletes and Lidl Slovenija

Lidl recognized the inspiring effort of the disabled sportsmen, sportswomen, and their teams, as well as the hard work of the Slovenian Association for Disabled Sports (ZŠIS) and the Paralympic Committee (POK), and have thus connected with teams which inspired them. These are people who did not lose their will and inspiration and have become committed sportsmen and sportswomen despite their physical disabilities. They train every day to compete in different Slovenian, European and world championships, and the Olympic Games. The aim of the Slovenian Association for Disabled Sports is to promote awareness of the challenges of the disabled athletes and also of others who are physically impaired.

As a result of these disabled sportsmen and sportswomen who participated in the project, Lidl focused on inspiration and adopted this message as their core guideline and the base of their corporate identity. They wish to emphasize with their motto "You are our inspiration" that Lidl Slovenia is not a company which focuses only on sales but is led by social responsibility and is thus searching for individuals who inspire, who break stereotypes, cross the line, and are an inspiration to many.

See the photo gallery HERE