Honorary medal

    F09E9B00-812D-4EC8-8668-FF8326F97B85 - Management - Thomas Bo Pedersen - Press 2018
    Wed, 16 May 2018
    Yesterday, MASCOT Vietnam’s managing director Thomas Bo Pedersen was awarded with an honorary medal in Vietnam.

    The honorary medal was awarded by the Minister for Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung. The ministry recognizes Thomas Bo Pedersen’s personal role in contributing to Vietnam’s development as a business leader and as a voice advocating for companies’ social responsibility in Vietnam.

    Vietnam has a strong investment climate

    MASCOT has had production in Vietnam for ten years. The first factory was opened in 2008 after 11 months of construction, and today MASCOT employs 1600 employees in three factories in Northern Vietnam. Through the years, Vietnam has had a good investment climate and highly educated and hard-working people which has attracted foreign investors to the country which has experienced significant growth the past decade.

    A privileged to create developing jobs

    Thomas Bo Pedersen is originally from Denmark, but he has lived in Vietnam through the past 16 years of which 12 as managing director for MASCOT Vietnam and MASCOT Laos. About the honorary medal he says: »It has been a fantastic privilege to help establish developing workplaces for hundreds of colleagues here in Southeast Asia and be a part of MASCOT’s successful development over the past decade. Vietnam has with the many, especially foreign, investments taken a huge developmental jump, for example, in terms of working conditions, and it is a good feeling to know that we, with the strong European MASCOT values, have influenced this. And so many people have their share in what MASCOT has achieved. The medal really belongs to all ’Mascoteers’ in Vietnam, Laos, Denmark and elsewhere.«

    2018 Press - F09E9B00-812D-4EC8-8668-FF8326F97B85 - Management - Thomas Bo Pedersen - Managing Director MASCOT Vietnam, MASCOT Laos

    F09E9B00-812D-4EC8-8668-FF8326F97B85 - Management - Press 2018

    Expansion of the socially responsible production

    Besides the three factories in Vietnam, MASCOT has since 2013 had production in Laos, where 700 MASCOT employees produce workwear and safety workwear for construction, industry, production and transport sectors all over the world. In Vietnam as well as Laos, MASCOT is currently expanding its capacity so that even more workwear can be manufactured under good conditions and with high international standards for social responsibility (CSR) with the certification SA8000. As a Northern European company, establishing production with good European working conditions, including free lunches and a free medical clinic, seems natural, but it is still not the norm in countries such as Vietnam and Laos, and this is what the honorary medal is evidence of.

    F09E9B00-812D-4EC8-8668-FF8326F97B85 - Thomas Bo Pedersen & Crown Prince Frederik, Denmark - 2018

    During the years, MASCOT has received several awards for its engagement in social responsible and respectful working conditions. Besides the different awards to the company, Thomas Bo Pedersen did in 2011 also receive Prince Henrik’s Medal of Honor for his dedicated work with social responsibility. The honorary medal was handed to him by Crown Prince Fredrik.