GalpEnergia

Portugal's leading integrated oil and natural gas company, GalpEnergia, was selected by the jury based on its impressive double-digit growth of 15.3% between 2002 and 2006. It had shown strong innovative capabilities with its exploration of new production areas in Angola and Brazil, the jury said in its verdict. In addition, it highlighted the successful integration of AGIP into the company in Spain.

AXA

AXA, one of Europe's major insurance providers, was lauded by the jury for its acquisition of Swiss competitor Winterthur in 2006. The purchase had given AXA access to the lucrative Swiss market and created product complementarities that extended AXA's global reach, allowing it to specialize further and increase its presence on the world insurance market by 20%. The jury was impressed by the EUR 8 billion size of the acquisition and its strategic contribution to reinforcing AXA's position in Switzerland, and in Western and Eastern European core markets. The purchase created synergy potential to the amount of EUR 350 million.

PKN Orlen

PKN Orlen, a major European oil refiner, and petrol retailer was chosen as a further winner in this category. Its commitment to growth through key acquisitions is highlighted by the fact that it had won in this BEB category twice before, in 2006 and 2007. As of June 2006 the company is Poland's and Central Europe's largest publicly traded firm with major operations in its country of origin, the Czech Republic, Germany, and the Baltic States. It operates a wide network of retail outlets across these markets. In May of 2006 PKN Orlen announced its largest take-over to date, purchasing the majority share of Lithuania's Mažeikių Nafta, the largest company in the Baltic States, from Yukos. The transaction value of USD 2.78 billion was the biggest Polish foreign investment.
The jury praised PKN Orlen's acquisition strategy and integration capacity in its verdict. The latest buy-up and the acquisition of Unipetrol in 2005, had demonstrated PKN Orlen's commitment to its company strategy, aimed toward expanding regionally and bolstering the company's market position.

BASF

BASF was selected for its outstanding commitment to environmentally sustainable production. Around 30% of its R&D budget is invested into developing mechanisms that allow for a more energy and natural resource efficient production, and toward developing technology for materials and energy resources of the future. It was the first company in Germany to join the "Community Development Carbon Fund" (CDCF) sponsored by the World Bank, which supports projects in the reduction of emissions in developing countries.
The company won the "Best of European Business" award in the Mergers and Acquisition category in Germany for its latest purchase of US catalyst producer Engelhard. The jury felt that this move further enhanced BASF's commitment to actively reducing CO2 emissions the world over.