Oct 11, 2024
Esgrid and Cobalt Legal, in collaboration with Impact Day, announced the first-ever award for the Best Sustainability Manager in the Baltics. The award went to Katrin Bats, CR Manager at Rimi Baltics, recognised by the jury for her long-standing, systematic, and measurably impactful work in introducing, developing, and engaging various target groups in the field of sustainability.
Commenting on the decision, Siim Vahtrus, who chaired the jury, said: “With so many strong nominations, the most crucial factor in the final selection was the extent to which candidates have driven change in their field and society at large. Katrin stood out particularly strongly in this regard.”
More than 40 nominations from across the Baltics were submitted throughout September. In addition to Katrin Bats, the final four included Santa Auguste-Sole (Riga Airport), Indrė Beinoravičienė (IKI Lietuva UAB), and Toms Auškāps (Balticovo).
The jury consisted of 10 members from all three Baltic countries, including entrepreneurs, ESG experts, representatives from the public sector, and legal professionals. The jury comprised Domas Dargis, CEO of Eika Group (Lithuania); Elina Salava, Head of Sustainability at Altum (Lithuania); Dr. Žaneta Stasiškienė, Director of Institute of Environmental Engineering (Lithuania); Kristīne Rāviņa, Senior Associate at Cobalt Legal (Latvia); Vitalija Užialaitė, Senior Associate at Cobalt Legal (Lithuania); Dr. Donalda Karnauskaitė, Sustainability Expert at Esgrid (Lithuania); Annika Arras, CEO of Miltton New Nordics and board member at CSR Estonia (Estonia); Rasmus Rask, CEO of La Muu; Marika Taal, Advisor at the Ministry of Finance (Estonia); and Siim Vahtrus, Head of ESG and Environmental Law at Cobalt Legal (Estonia).
In her acceptance speech, Katrin Bats emphasised that implementing sustainability in society is not an easy task: “The green transition is often seen as a burden and an additional cost. I encourage everyone to view it instead as an opportunity — benefitting not only the environment and society but also businesses. I am deeply grateful for this recognition! This title belongs not just to me, but also to my employer, who has highly valued my work,” Bats said with joy.