The Prestigious VIRTUS Philanthropy Prize is Awarded to Hemofarm  11/26/2007

Hemofarm was among the first companies in Serbia that started to value corporate social responsibility, at the time when even such a term was not in use. It therefore came as no surprise among other professionals that Hemofarm received the Corporate Philanthropy Excellence Award VIRTUS in the crowded central hall of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia on November 20, for its long standing partnership between the business and non-profit sector. Miodrag Babić, the President of Hemofarm, received the award. The ceremony was opened by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Serbian Government, Božidar Đelić. The US Ambassador to Serbia, Cameron Munter, addressed the audience, saying: The purpose of this prestigious award is to recognize and publicly emphasize the companies and enterprises which, due to their material and financial support give the best examples to others and set up standards which others should strive for in the world of responsible business...

The award has been presented for the first time this year, and it was established by the Balkan Community Initiatives Fund which has been operating in Serbia for eight years. This competition has been organized by the Balkan Community Initiatives Fund in cooperation with the USAID-funded Civil Society program, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the VIA Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF), the Consulting House ‘Hauska&Partner’, ‘Ekonomist’ magazine, ‘E-kapija’, Smart Kolektiv, the PR Society of Serbia and the City of Belgrade and partnership organizations. VIRTUS is an award for business entities which have distinguished themselves by supporting non-profit actions or organizations for the public good in the most efficient and effective way over the past year. This award, the first of its kind in Serbia, is organized with the aim to become a traditional event and reference point for those who invest in public welfare. With the exception of non-profit organizations and federal institutions, all local and foreign companies, as well as media companies and corporate funds, have the right to participate in the competition.
64 enterprises entered the competition for 6 awards. The jury, comprised of: Ivan Vejvoda, Executive Director of the Balkan Trust for Democracy, Mijat Lakićević, Editor in Chief of the ‘Ekonomist’ magazine, Ana Firtel-Vlajić, Executive Director of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC), Srba Jovanović, member of the Board of Directors of the PR Society of Serbia, Vlade Divac, distinguished sports person and founder of the Divac Foundation and Aleksandar Đukić, PriceWaterhouseCoopers Marketing Director.

Apart from the Corporate Philanthropy Excellence Award, which belonged to Hemofarm, four annual awards have been presented, including a special one for media contribution to B92.

Hemofarm competed for three award categories, and it entered the shortlist for two recognitions. The company Holcim Serbia was honoured for contribution to the local community in which it operates, and Alpha Plast was awarded for small and medium enterprises supporting health care institutions and local events in Temerin. The award for the most innovative design of the year was presented to the Erste bank for the ‘Adventure Culture’ design. The VIRTUS award for a design of national importance went to the media company B92 for the Safety House design and its initiative for spreading voluntary blood donations.