Leadax has won the first National Entrepreneurship Award in the Netherlands. It was presented to CEO Roeland van Delden at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. The National Entrepreneurship Award is a new initiative by the editorial teams of ADR and De Ondernemer. All participating editorial teams nominated 110 companies. From these nominations, a professional jury selected ten finalists.
The jury consists of Annemarie van Gaal (entrepreneur and columnist), Jacco Vonhof (entrepreneur and chairman of MKB Nederland), and Michiel Muller (entrepreneur). Readers and followers of ADR titles and De Ondernemer were able to vote for one of these ten nominated companies.
Journey towards a circulair future
Leadax has been making significant strides for several years. Since 2014, the company has been addressing the question of how to turn today’s waste into tomorrow’s raw materials. The company developed a replacement for lead in the construction sector. This replacement is made from old car windows and other recyclable safety glass. Leadax now also produces roofing materials using this process. Leadax is an established company that has proven itself. In 2019, a new factory in Wapenveld was put into operation, and the company now employs more than 50 people. The company is active in 24 countries and anticipates a 35 percent growth this year., Roeland van Delden will step down as CEO and hand over daily leadership. However, he will remain actively involved in Leadax as a founder. From this role, he will work on further establishing Leadax internationally and continue to contribute to innovation and product development. As a speaker on international stages, he will also continue to promote the transition to a circular economy.
Criteria for the nominees
“With this award, we want to demonstrate that there are many inspiring, innovative entrepreneurs throughout the Netherlands. They contribute to employment, income, social cohesion, and innovation,” says Robert van den Ham, editor-in-chief of De Ondernemer. “The company must be representative of the sector and certainly have a regional presence. This winner fully meets these criteria.”