Blancco CEO Väisänen to Represent Finland in Ernst & Young's World Entrepreneur of the Year Competition

JOENSUU, Finland, May 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Recognized for originality and innovation, Väisänen will attend Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and vie for World Entrepreneur of the Year title in Monte Carlo on June 8, 2013

Blancco's CEO and Founder Kim Väisänen will represent Finland in Ernst & Young's World Entrepreneur of the Year award finals in Monte Carlo, June 6-9, 2013. As winner of the 2012 Entrepreneur of the Year award for Finland, he will be inducted into the prestigious World Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame at a black-tie awards gala on June 8, where more than 50 country winners will vie for the World Entrepreneur of the Year title.

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Last November, Väisänen won the Finnish competition for his innovative idea that launched Blancco, and for the entrepreneurial skills that have helped the company attain global leadership in data erasure and computer reuse solutions. Now he moves on to the world competition.

"It is an exceptional honor for me to represent our country and Blancco in these awards, and to be in the company of entrepreneurs from around the world who have been recognized as part of a rigorous judging process," said Väisänen, who added that recognition belongs to the entire Blancco staff for their hard work and dedication. "To have earned this award from Ernst & Young is exciting and underscores the success that all of us have helped build for the company, our clients and our partners."

Blancco has saved millions of IT assets from the landfill by enabling their secure refurbishment, resale and reuse. "The future is also looking good for our company as digital data continues to grow, new privacy legislation is coming and the burgeoning use of different IT assets makes secure erasure more challenging for organizations than ever before," Väisänen said.

More than 27 years ago, Ernst & Young started the Entrepreneur of the Year Program to honor successful entrepreneurial leaders. Each year in Monaco, more than 50 Entrepreneur of the Year country winners are inducted into the World Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame and compete for the World Entrepreneur of the Year title. Today, the program spans more than 140 cities in more than 50 countries, together representing more than 90% of the global economy. This year's event will feature notables Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary General, Sir Thomas Berniers-Lee, Inventor of the World Wide Web, and Mika Hakkinen, Formula One Championship driver as keynote speakers.

About Blancco

Blancco is the proven data erasure solution for millions of users around the globe. As the global leader in data erasure and computer reuse solutions, Blancco offers the most certified data erasure solutions within the industry. The company serves users across a wide range of industries, including banking, finance, government and defense. The company's products are highly valued by IT asset disposal professionals around the world. Blancco operates from an extensive network of international offices and partners across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Russia, Asia and Australasia. More information is available at http://www.blancco.com.

Media Contact:

Monica Shaw
+1-770-367-9534
mshaw@carabinerpr.com

Blancco Oy Ltd.
Johanna Pakkanen, Marketing Manager
+358 440 386 117
johanna.pakkanen@blancco.com

Ernst & Young Oy

Lauri Oinaala, Entrepreneur of the Year Program Manager
+358-40-506-0613
lauri.oinaala@fi.ey.com

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