In the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, ITL Group hosted 150 guests from Hungary's business community, and involved them in an experience that blended elements of thought-provoking discussions and speeches about the core themes of ethics, sustainability, and creativity. 

Michele Orzan, president of EUCham shared his insights about the business world and its ethics, safety, honesty, and integrity. Ervin László, philosopher, humanist, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee sent a video, in which he emphasized the importance of sustainability and leadership. Finally, Marco Veronese, phygital artist, philosopher, and the creator of the Atlas Award sculpture immersed the audience in his speech about creativity and innovative thinking.

Andrea Szabó represented Bátor Tábor, an organization which was supported via a special fundraiser at the event. The winner of last year, Dimitri Ljasuk, also sent a special video to congratulate this year's candidates and winner.

This year the jury included a group of multidisciplinary professionals with backgrounds in communication, art, ethics, sustainability, and creativity: Alessandro Farina, founder of ITL Group and creator of the award; Dimitry Ljasuk, founder of Pozitivo Digital, as well as the winner of the Atlas Award 2022; Luigino Bottega, time traveler and author of the book “Io – How to win at the game of life”; Mandy Fertetics, sustainability, and ESG expert and consultant as well as managing director of Alternate Consulting Hungary; Marco Veronese, artist and creator of the “Atlas Award” sculpture; Omar Balducci, sales director Central and Eastern Europe of Lucart Group; Tamás Botka, CEO and publisher of the Budapest Business Journal; and Viktória Vita Griessmüller, president of the Rotary Club of Budapest.

This year, an "exceptional guest" was also added to the jury members. ChatGPT, an AI language processing model that provided interesting data on the candidates nominated for the award.

The jury shortlisted five entrepreneurs that stood out the most: Giacomo Pedranzini, Albert Wettstein, Mónika Méhész, Éva Pálfi, and Zsolt Márkus.

This year, as a new addition to the event, a special mention was given to one of the finalists, a young entrepreneur, Albert Wettstein, well-known as the co-founder of the popular food rescue platform, Munch. He and his team represent great ethical commitment, a sustainable approach and creative innovations and they created an engaging and impactful community through their work, the organizers of the gala highlighted. Wettstein was surprised to receive this special prize and expressed his gratitude for the recognition of their work.

The highlight of the night came when Alessandro Farina revealed the Atlas Award 2023 winner, Giacomo Pedranzini, who showcases commitment to Ethics, Sustainability, and Creativity. He was already a member of the Atlas World community and he was also one of the finalists of the Atlas Award in 2022 and after his newest initiatives and developments, the jury decided that he deserved to bring home the award this year.

Unfortunately Pedranzini could not attend the event in person, he was represented by his wife Sabrina Guidi, and joined the evening through a Zoom call.

Pedranzini is the founder and CEO of Kometa 99 Zrt. His new initiative, HonestFood pays extra attention to ethical issues and showcases his dedication to sustainability as well. Furthermore, through his innovative thinking he is tackling prevalent industry issues and fostering collaborations among stakeholders.

The winner started his speech by thanking the jury members and congratulating the other finalists. Then, he referred to some ethical values that have been forgotten in the last few years, and he highlighted how family roots inspire our collective commitment to these principles.

He emphasized that the mission of HonestFood, which currently operates only in Italy but is expected to expand to Hungary, focuses on three goals: ethical food production, fair distribution of value throughout the supply chain, and environmental responsibility. He stated that, as food producers, they are aware of their profound impact on health and they are aware of the more vulnerable people in the production chain. He mentioned how the pressure on prices has disproportionately affected farmers, leading to the abandonment of agriculture in some regions.

Recalling the recent floods in Tuscany, he prompted the audience to think about the consequences of climate change and natural disasters, especially in the neglect of areas left untended due to the abandonment of agriculture.

The organizers thanked all the sponsors, allies, media partners, and professionals of ITL Group. Alessandro Farina concluded the evening with the following words, “Congratulations to all and thank you to all! Please remember to spread these important values, embrace them, defend them, fight for them... you are a fundamental part in building a better world!”