Vote Before August 28 for Zebra CEO Anders Gustafsson to Win the 2020 Outstanding Tech CEO Award!

We received thrilling news this week at Zebra: our CEO Anders Gustafsson is an Outstanding Tech CEO Award finalist for 1871’s 2020 Momentum Awards!

This distinguished award will be presented virtually on October 1 to a CEO who has successfully scaled and nurtured his or her company through outstanding leadership, ability to attract and retain talent, dedication to diversity and inclusion and the implementation of strategic growth opportunities.

That describes Anders to a tee. He has been a leader in action since he first joined Zebra in 2007 as CEO.

He sets a positive example for our more than 7,500 employees around the globe, driving an award-winning culture of integrity, teamwork, innovation, accountability and agility. He continuously demonstrates his commitment to the employees and partners who enable Zebra to deliver a performance edge to its customers on the front line of business through an inclusive culture of innovation.

In fact, with Anders’ humble humanity, strong leadership, astute business acumen and customer-first approach to every business decision, Zebra’s size has tripled in just 13 years and the company’s reputation has pivoted from “a printer company” to an innovator with end-to-end solutions that enable every asset and worker to be visible, connected and fully optimized.

We want to thank Anders for all that he has done for us as a company and employees and honor all of the good he has done for our customers, partners and communities. And we need your help!

The winner of this award is determined by public vote, and we only have a few days to rally around this activity.  Would you take a few minutes today to submit your vote for Anders here?! (If you can’t do it right now, that’s okay. Just be sure to get your vote in by August 28.)

Why (Else) Vote for Anders?

Honestly, we could write a book explaining the many ways that Anders positively impacts Zebra (as a company), Zebras (individually), our partner, supplier and customer communities as well as the global communities in which Zebra operates. But we know you only have a few minutes to read this – and a few days to make a decision and vote for who you believe is the most Outstanding Tech CEO – so we’ve tried to sum up all of Anders’ meaningful leadership qualities, decisions and actions below based on the three criteria used to select the Outstanding Tech CEO Award winner:

1. Criteria: Leads a company with growing revenue/profitability that exceeds industry averages

Fueled by his valuable experience within the technology industry, such as serving in top leadership roles in companies such as Spirent Communications plc and Tellabs, Inc., Anders drives Zebra to challenge the status quo every day. When he led the acquisition of the Enterprise business of Motorola Solutions, for example, he knew it wouldn’t be easy but that it was instrumental to future profitability and progressive innovation. With lots of hard work, the risk paid off financially and strategically. It had tripled the company’s size but more importantly solidified Zebra’s position beyond a product company to become a solutions provider. Since the close of the acquisition, Zebra stock has returned 27.2% a year on average – much higher than the average annual return of the Dow.

2. Criteria: Solid track record with focus on growth for both the company and its employees

While technological innovations have been critical to Zebra’s growth and success, Anders knows that it is people who drive the company’s stellar performance. He has focused on building a well-defined culture that attracts – and retains – top talent. In 2019, Zebra was named to Forbes’ list of “America’s Best Employers” for the fourth consecutive year, and for the first time in 2020, Zebra was named one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators. Anders also recognizes the importance of Zebra’s channel partners who are responsible for around 80% of Zebra’s total sales. Prioritizing the creation and evolution of a partner program focused on the enablement and profitability of our partners has landed Zebra on CRN’s 5-star Partner Program Guide the last four years.

3. Criteria: Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives

During his tenure with Zebra, Anders has led the company to turn even greater attention to inclusion and diversity (I&D). This focus is a critical part of what it means to work at Zebra and is integral to employee trust, agility and innovation. Anders also understands that culture must be able to grow and evolve over time and his actions to-date demonstrate Zebra’s commitment to supporting and fostering an empowering environment now and in the future. This is driving a dynamic community of builders, doers and problem solvers who are empowered to bring their true selves to work each day. Anders and his team understand that culture is not static and needs to grow and develop as fast as the world around it, much like the solutions the company provides.

In other words, Anders encourages Zebra employees, partners and suppliers to strive for excellence every day while empowering the front line in retail/ ecommerce, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare, public sector and other industries to achieve a performance edge.

Vote now to recognize Anders as the 2020 Outstanding Tech CEO!