ENG: Green Controlling Award 2018 for AIDA Cruises

10/11/2018

The Green Controlling Award 2018 of the Péter Horváth Foundation in cooperation with the International Association of Controllers (ICV) has been awarded. The winner is AIDA Cruises with the project "Green Cruising". Dr. Ali Arnaout, Senior Vice President & CFO AIDA Cruises and CIO Costa Group, accepted the award from Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Péter Horváth, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board Horváth AG, and Siegfried Gänßlen, member of the ICV Board.

Exemplary economic implementation of sustainable strategy "Green Cruising" awarded

Stuttgart/München, 09.10.2018 – On September 19, the Green Controlling Award 2018 of the Péter Horváth Foundation was awarded in cooperation with the International Association of Controllers (ICV) at the 32nd Stuttgart Controlling and Management Forum. The winner is AIDA Cruises with the project "Green Cruising". Dr. Ali Arnaout, Senior Vice President & CFO AIDA Cruises and CIO Costa Group, accepted the award from Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Péter Horváth, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board Horváth AG, and Siegfried Gänßlen, member of the ICV Board.

In his presentation, Dr. Arnaout presented the innovative approaches followed by AIDA Cruises in order to map the "Green Cruising" strategy as an elementary component of corporate planning and management. "For AIDA Cruises, ecology and economy are not contradictory," Dr. Arnaout says. "Due to the long-standing strategic importance of sustainability for AIDA Cruises, 'Green Controlling' is an integral part of corporate planning and management. The innovative part is that we anchor the goals of „Green Cruising” at all planning stages in the context of strategic and operational corporate planning and consistently map ecological and economic target relationships in the business management."

He continues: "We need to assess the contribution of our sustainability goals, assess the risks, and answer the question of what budget should be adequately and appropriately provided for sustainability. This is about managing the portfolio - and that, in light of the ever-changing conditions and regulations", says Dr. Arnaout.

"Profitability of the future technology"

Jury Chairman Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Péter Horváth pointed out in his laudatio that "shipping has been the focus of criticism for years". In the environmental technology, a major change is taking place: for example from 2020 onwards, marine diesel should replace the polluting heavy oil, exhaust gas cleaning is on the agenda as a current topic and "some cruise companies think about liquefied natural gas as alternative fuel". AIDA Cruises is one of those companies that "dealt with the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) years ago and has now launched the first cruise ship fueled by liquefied natural gas, the 'AIDAnova', two months ago."

"If you think about that such an innovative ship was commissioned more than ten years ago, that also has a lot to do with controlling," says Prof. Horváth. "The planning of such a ship is an evidence of a corporate strategy that integrates economic, environmental and social objectives in an exemplary manner. The basis for this is a controlling system that coordinates, measures, manages and monitors all activities of the company, including the sustainability program. That's why this year's Green Controlling Award goes to AIDA Cruises for the commercial implementation of the 'Green Cruising' strategy."

He described the AIDA Cruises controlling system as a holistic approach that integrates the three target dimensions on all planning and management levels in an exemplary manner, with the active participation of the controller. The interaction between the business areas such as administration and the naval operations units will be realized across all planning levels, "supported by a set of new, innovatively designed key figures". "The sustainability program with a large number of individual projects of a very long-term nature is coordinated company-wide and approved by controlling department. The controlling has designed and implemented the commercial planning and management of the 'new technical LNG operation' and pursues the profitability of the future technology."

Decision bases for green projects

The ICV Board Member Siegfried Gänßlen said: "Controllers have the often difficult task of freeing up money for green controlling in their companies. Because as everywhere, also here ‘No ticky, no washy’ is true. For the controlling, this means ensuring a balance in which the profit is not lost sight of and money always remains in the cash register - and all this in the often extremely long lead times of the sustainability projects. The controllers thus make a very important contribution in this area, provide the necessary balance, enable the right prioritization and, as a business partner, create the basis for decision-making so that the management ultimately stands behind the green projects."

The Green Controlling Award is donated with EUR 10,000 by the Péter Horváth Foundation. To promote the discussion of controlling with the "green challenge", the most innovative and effective "green" controlling solution for the design and management of ecological strategies, programs, projects and measures in companies and organizations is awarded annually in cooperation with the International Association of Controllers (ICV). Previous winners of the Award are e.g. Deutsche Post DHL, Deutsche Telekom AG, PORSCHE AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Hansgrohe SE and STABILO International GmbH. At the ICV an expert work group called "Green Controlling for Responsible Business" has worked since 2010.

Contacts for press:

  • Aida Cruises: Hansjörg Kunze, Vice President Communication & Sustainability, presse@aida.de, phone: +49 (0) 381 / 444-80 20
  • International Association of Controllers (ICV): Hans-Peter Sander, presse@icv-controlling.com, phone: +49 (0) 8807 949094

The International Association of Controllers (ICV) has in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland and 12 other countries in Central and Eastern Europe around 6,500 members active in practical controlling. The key objective of the ICV controlling philosophy is reaching permanent economic success. With its honorary chairman Dr. Albrecht Deyhle the Association, founded in 1975, has shaped the controlling in German speaking countries placed and influenced. The ICV merges controllers, CFOs, managers and scientists and  it is strictly oriented on its members’ benefit. Experience, communication and being focused  on future-oriented trends are foundations of the ICV. The ICV combines practical experience with the latest research results and prepares its knowledge for practical implementation. The ICV makes personal contribution to the success of its members and to the sustainable performance of companies. Prof. Dr. Heimo Losbichler, FH Steyr, is the Chairman of the ICV, Vice Chairman of the ICV is Matthias von Daacke, BLANCO GmbH & Co. KG.

For more information:

  • H.-P. Sander, Presse ICV, EASTWESTCOM, Ammersee Denkerhaus - Coworking Space, Sonnenstr. 1,  D-86911 Diessen am Ammersee, phone: +49 (0)176-63 722 680, presse@icv-controlling.com
  • ICV Office, Münchner Str. 8, D-82237 Wörthsee, phone: +49 (0)8153-88 974-20
  • www.icv-controlling.com