Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you to the opening of the annual CHARGE Energy Branding Conference.

This is the seventh time the CHARGE Energy Branding Conference takes place in Iceland, and also the first physical meeting after the pandemic years.

The CHARGE Conference has become an established international event, in the world of energy and branding, and I want to congratulate the organizers of the CHARGE Conference for their good work, initiative and enthusiasm.

Today, energy companies are competing in a more competitive environment than ever before, as households and companies are able to choose among the various electricity suppliers. We see this development in Iceland and elsewhere in the world. This means that consumers are more empowered and aware and branding of electricity becomes increasingly important to ensure a competitive advantage.

Dear guests,

As we are all very aware of, we are now in the midst of the converging crises of energy security and climate change. There is a severe energy crisis in Europe stemming from the war in Ukraine and the issue concerning climate change is far from being resolved. The environment of our energy markets is constantly evolving and the management and operations must be both flexible and resiliant in trying times.

We have our challenges, yes, as I mentioned, but our reality is far from the challenges people and companies face in the embattled regions, it pales in comparison what we are facing and the struggles in Ukraine.

The Charge community every year celebrates leaders and companies with an awards ceremony dinner. However, in addition, this year an exception is made and for the first time a new special recognition award is presented, the Leif Eiríksson award. This award gives special recognition to an organisation or leader who channels the spirit of Leif Eiríksson, a strong pioneer and intrepid explorer. His journey over a thousand years ago showed resilience and bravery in adversity.

The reciever of the Leif Eiríksson award is DTEK, the Ukrainian utility who has functioned under the bombing of the Russian military, serving its community and countrymen. Energy is vital for the survival of men, women and children, as much as water and food. Employees of the company have risked their lives and kept the grid operating under heavy shelling. Unfortunately, there has been loss of life among their employees, and we give our sincere condolences.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is my honor to recognise this remarkable effort and resiliance and, something that leaves us all humbled and we can learn from. And now, I call to the stage the representative from DTEK to recieve the Leif Eiríksson award.