2026 Community Engagement Award
Pump Your Future is a mentoring initiative by Grundfos Ukraine, developed in partnership with the local NGO, Association of Mentoring for Children and Youth. It supports teenagers from vulnerable backgrounds as they prepare for adult, social and professional life by connecting them with employees who volunteer as mentors.
The project responds to a deep need for guidance and support. Through long-term mentoring, open dialogue and practical activities, colleagues help participants build confidence, strengthen life skills and make informed choices about education and future paths.
The Community Engagement Award went to Grundfos in Ukraine for their mentoring project for vulnerable youth. Here with Morten Bach Jensen, Group Executive Vice President, CEO Domestic Building Services. Photo: Lars Holm
The jury finds this initiative especially significant in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, which continues to affect society and young people’s access to education and support. In that reality, it is extraordinary to see colleagues step forward and commit their time and energy to others.
The award money will enable the initiative to expand to reach more young people and help them find confidence and direction.
2026 Grundfos Scholarship
Five deserving winners will take home scholarships to help them learn and grow:
- Sowmiya Senthamarai Kannan & Suman Singh (India): Real-Time Agentic AI Development & Microsoft Azure AI Engineering Program
Suman and Sowmiya are driven by a passion to explore how Agentic AI can transform the software development lifecycle at Grundfos – boosting productivity while reducing costs. By pioneering the adoption of this emerging technology, Suman and Sowmiya will position Grundfos at the forefront of AI-driven engineering innovation, creating lasting impact across development teams. - Marina Sosa (Denmark): Driving AI Ambition Through Modern QA and Intelligent Automation
Marina demonstrates strong initiative in advancing capabilities within AI-driven quality and testing practices. With a clear focus on strengthening collaboration and upskilling across teams, she is well positioned to contribute to improved software quality and the adoption of modern automation practices at Grundfos. This learning journey is expected to create meaningful impact – enhancing Marina’s leadership and technical expertise while enabling broader knowledge-sharing and scalable improvements across the organization. - Angélica Lorena Cortés Torres (Colombia): Specialization in energy management and efficiency
Angelica presents a strong and well-founded application, reflecting both commitment and capability to build advanced technical competencies. With a clear focus on energy efficiency and customer value, she is well positioned to strengthen consultative sales and support Grundfos’ sustainability ambitions. . - Daniella Fernandez Chacon (Chile): Diploma in Artificial Intelligence
Daniella demonstrates a strong fit, with clear passion and commitment to her development. With a proven ability to leverage digital tools to create business impact, she is well positioned to contribute to Grundfos’ AI-driven future. This learning journey is expected to create strong value – enhancing Daniella’s capabilities while benefiting colleagues and customers across the Americas.
This year’s five Scholarship Winners from India, Denmark, Chile, and Colombia with Anne Grønbjerg, Group Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resource Officer (left). Photo: Lars Holm
2026 Health, Safety and Well-being Award
A 3-level EHS training system for new employees developed by Zara Liu, Ming Luo, Guo Hai Li and Chun Lan Zhang at GRUNDFOS Pumps (Suzhou) L (GPC) is this year’s winner.
Working with Environment, Health and Safety matters – EHS – and with Well-being is a sustained effort with a desire for on-going improvement. In this context, training and awareness in EHS practices has been standard for many years. But things we do as a standard, often need a regular overhaul and refresh to stay relevant, inspiring and top-of-mind.
In this spirit, our colleagues in the Suzhou, China plant, have invested heavily in developing an entirely new training program for EHS and Well-being as part of on-boarding new colleagues, who work at the shop floor. Through a three-tiered model focusing on EHS both at plant level, APU level and at the individual production line, new colleagues get a solid understanding of key EHS and Well-being matters. It effectively integrates local regulatory requirements with Grundfos production practices. Leadership involvement is visible and embedded at operational levels, supporting both engagement and accountability. Three full days are invested for each new colleague.
The team from the Grundfos plant in Suzhou, China, here with Grundfos CFO Mikael Geday, won this year’s Health, Safety and Well-being award for their induction training programme. Photo: Lars Holm
2026 Innovation Awards
ApolloX – Intelligent IWCs for heat pumps was developed by Jan Carøe Aarestrup, Christian Blad, Sebastian Preston-Jensen, Daniel Beck Rømer, and Martin Clausen
Each year, 3–4 million gas boilers in the EU are replaced, yet most are still exchanged for fossil-fuel systems with a high energy consumption and cost. This innovation enables true one-to-one replacement of domestic gas boilers with heat pump solutions. It removes key barriers that have slowed the fossil fuel phase-out in residential heating by fundamentally rethinking how heat pump indoor units are hydraulically integrated.
Group Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
The new system architecture enables a much smaller footprint, simpler retrofit installation, and lower system cost – while delivering performance and comfort beyond today’s state-of-the-art solutions.
ApolloX – Intelligent IWCs for heat pumps was developed by Jan Carøe Aarestrup, Christian Blad, Sebastian Preston-Jensen, Daniel Beck Rømer, and Martin Clausen (here with Grundfos COO Ulrik Gernow). Photo: Lars Holm
CIP Rinse Re-use was developed by Richard Child, Alex Reina and Oleksandr Sadchykov
Pioneer Water Circularity is the intersection of Pumping and Water Treatment Solutions, whereby the use of patented control logic, compact and modular design combining E-pumps and water treatment systems, the customer saves water, heat and chemicals. With fast return on investment below one-year, low cost to install and no production stops during the installation, so it can retrofit existing installations.
Grundfos COO Ulrik Gernow with Alex Reima and Oleksandr Sadchykov. Photo: Lars Holm
E pump Open Computing Soft PLC—Sys Pro was developed by John Bergmans, Michael Elkjær Lausten and Anders Silkær Mikkelsen
The E pump Open Computing Soft PLC—Sys Pro (System for Professionals)—redefines control in the fast growing e pump landscape. An open, scalable platform that delivers differentiation at scale by turning intelligence into a competitive advantage.
An E-pump is the combination of the hydraulics, a drive and a small PLC that controls the pump, and that can be open to grant customers the access to some level of customization becoming a mini-PLC, close to the point of use, while preserving secured the proprietary functionalities of the pump.
With a Grundfos patented Hardware-Protocol solution, the customer can program in the pump making it the core control of the system, enabling fast response to changes in the system conditions, compactness and savings in footprint and installation cost.
E pump Open Computing Soft PLC—Sys Pro was developed by John Bergmans, Michael Elkjær Lausten and Anders Silkær Mikkelsen, here with Grundfos COO Ulrik Gernow (left). Photo: Lars Holm
2026 Culture Ambassador Award
Three deserving winners receive this year’s award:
- Beverley Ann Grøn (Denmark): The Face of Grundfos Culture and Unmatched Service
Beverley Ann Grøn is selected as a Culture Ambassador Award winner based on her consistent and long-standing embodiment of Grundfos values in daily practice. Over more than three decades, she has built exceptional trust and recognition across the organisation and among global guests.Her strongest impact lies in Focused on People and Open & Trustworthy behaviours.
Through empathy, availability, and a highly service-oriented mindset, she creates a welcoming and inclusive environment where colleagues and visitors feel seen and supported. She is widely recognised as a reliable point of contact and a natural connector across functions and cultures.
While her impact is primarily indirect, it is significant and sustained – strengthening a culture of collaboration, helpfulness, and mutual success. Beverley represents Grundfos culture in action and serves as a clear and credible role model for others. - Natalia Bailly (Ukraine): Driving Social Impact Through “Pump Your Future”
Natalia Bailly is selected as a Culture Ambassador Award winner for translating Grundfos values into tangible human impact through her leadership of the “Pump Your Future” initiative.She demonstrates strong Focused on People behaviour by actively supporting vulnerable teenagers in their personal development, well-being, and transition into adulthood.
Through mentorship, training, and structured engagement, she creates real opportunities for growth and social integration for a group with limited support. Natalia’s strength lies in taking initiative and ownership. She has independently established and sustained a programme that mobilises colleagues, partners, and institutions around a clear purpose. This reflects solid role modelling and a clear commitment to making a difference beyond the organisation.
While her impact is primarily project driven, it is meaningful, visible, and directly aligned with Grundfos’ purpose of improving quality of life. Natalia represents a strong example of acting on values and turning intent into concrete outcomes in the communities Grundfos serves. - Anthony Margentina (USA): Turning Partnerships into Sustained Business Growth
Anthony Margentina is selected as a Culture Ambassador Award winner based on his strong, value driven impact on customers, partners, and business performance.He consistently demonstrates Open & Trustworthy, Partnership, and Relentlessly Ambitious behaviours through long term, trust based relationships and clear, transparent expectations with partners.
His ability to combine commercial focus with collaboration across divisions strengthens a Grundfos-wins-mindset and drives tangible results, including significant and sustained business growth.Anthony’s strength lies in translating Grundfos values into daily actions with customers and partners – building trust, enabling others to succeed, and creating shared accountability.
While his impact is primarily commercial, it is value based and consistent, with clear evidence of both cultural behaviour and measurable outcomes.Overall, Anthony represents a credible and results oriented Culture Ambassador, demonstrating how strong partnerships and personal ownership can reinforce Grundfos culture in practice.
The three Culture Ambassador Award winners with Bent Jensen Group Executive Vice President, CEO Commercial Building Services. Photo: Lars Holm
2026 Environmental Impact Award
The winner of this year’s Environmental Impact Award, Enhancing IT Cooling Efficiency and Reducing CO₂ Emissions with Grundfos E‑Pumps in Dry Cooler Applications for a Leading Industrial OEM in India by Ashish K Solanki, clearly demonstrates how intelligent engineering delivers meaningful environmental impact at scale.
By replacing fixed-speed pumps with Grundfos variable-speed E-pumps in closed loop dry cooler systems, this initiative addresses two critical global challenges simultaneously, water scarcity and energy efficiency.
- The shift from traditional evaporative cooling to closed-loop dry cooler systems significantly reduces water dependency, improves water efficiency and enables reuse.
- The integration of high-efficiency variable-speed E-pumps drives substantial reductions in energy and carbon emissions.
At the same time, operational performance, such as internal heat generation and noise are reduced and stable cooling performance under fluctuating IT loads are secured.
Through early and continuous customer engagement, open discussions on application, optimal technical fit, lifecycle benefits and right pricing. Credibility, Superiority and Trust were built.
This year’s winner, Ashish K Solanki, clearly demonstrates how intelligent engineering delivers meaningful environmental impact at scale. Here with Group Executive Vice President & CEO Industry Inge Delobelle. Photo: Lars Holm
The results are both measurable and compelling: With 92 pumps supplied and approximately 253 tons of CO₂ reduced annually, this initiative delivers clear and verified environmental impact, reducing the footprint across energy, water, and carbon emission. The solution has also proven to be economically viable, generating strong business value.
Dry coolers are widely suitable for water scarce regions globally. This initiative is therefore highly scalable across global IT cooling and industrial applications.
2026 Apprentice & Trainee Excellence and Growth Awards
- Niels Svansø Nielsen (Denmark): Excellence Award
Niels delivers consistently high-quality performance and exceptional technical craftsmanship. He secured first place in local Skills competitions and is now progressing to the Danish Championships (DM) in Skills – clear proof of his talent and dedication. He is a conscientious, hardworking, and reliable colleague, making him a truly deserving candidate - Áron Pawlowszky (Hungary): Excellence Award
Áron demonstrates consistently high quality and precision in his work, with a strong ability to handle complex tasks and a solid understanding of both technology and theory. Selected among 60–70 students for top performance, he stands out for both competence and dedication. He is a reliable, positive, and fast-developing professional with a strong sense of responsibility and high professional standards. - Patrick Juel Jensen (Denmark): Growth Award
Patrick demonstrates remarkable resilience and personal strength, having shown exceptional development despite significant life challenges. He has taken ownership of his learning and continued to perform as a strong contributor within a high-performing team. Patrick embodies maturity, responsibility, and strong Grundfos values. His ability to navigate adversity while maintaining performance makes him a truly commendable and deserving candidate. - Andreas Høgagard (Denmark): Growth Award
Andreas demonstrates remarkable development, progressing from a limited work schedule to full integration in the professional environment. Through an adapted learning approach, he has shown strong perseverance, responsibility, and clear, consistent progress. He is a stable, engaged, and determined colleague who overcomes challenges with courage and resilience. His development, commitment, and alignment with Grundfos values make him a truly deserving candidate.
Grundfos Group CEO Poul Due Jensen with the Four Winners of the new trainee and apprentice awards. Photo: Lars Holm