Iceland‘s Presidential Export Award of 2025
Embla Medical Receives Iceland‘s Presidential Export Award of 2025
Today, June 11th, Embla Medical was awarded the Presidential Export Award of Iceland 2025. CEO Sveinn Sölvason accepted the award at a formal ceremony held at the presidential residence of Bessastaðir.
Embla Medical is a leading global provider of innovative mobility solutions, including prosthetics, neuro orthotics, bracing & supports and integrated patient care. It is the parent company of industry-leading brands including Össur.
The company’s origins date back to 1971, when prosthetist and amputee Össur Kristinsson founded a prosthetics workshop in Iceland. Its first product - a silicone liner - quickly gained international recognition and laid the foundation for the company‘s global expansion.
Today, Embla Medical operates in nearly 40 countries, employing approximately 4,500 people, including 700 at its headquarters in Reykjavík.
Key milestones in the company’s history include its public listing in 1999, extensive international growth through strategic acquisitions, and the development of award-winning, high-tech mobility solutions. Research and development have always been central to its operations, and Embla Medical now holds over 2,100 registered patents - more than any other Icelandic company in the life sciences field.
The company’s revenues have grown steadily, more than doubling over the past decade - from ISK 58.5 billion (USD 483 million) in 2014 to ISK 118 billion (USD 855 million) in 2024. The majority of revenue is from the United States and Europe, with a growing share from Asia-Pacific markets.
This sustained growth has been driven by continued investment in R&D, with a strong focus on sustainability and innovation. Embla Medical remains committed to improving people’s mobility worldwide through best-in-class solutions and exceptional patient care.
The Presidential Export Award recognizes the company‘s international reach and the visionary approach that has defined its operations for more than half a century.
About the Presidential Export Award
The Presidential Export Award recognizes those who play a key role in strengthening Iceland’s economy through outstanding international sales and marketing of Icelandic products and services. The award highlights the importance of foreign currency earnings to the national economy. The selection committee considers factors such as export value growth, the share of exports in total sales, market expansion, and other achievements.
Now in its 37th year, the Presidential Export Award was first presented in 1989. Past recipients include deCODE Genetics, Trefjar, Icelandair, the Blue Lagoon, Marel, and Kerecis.
This year’s selection committee included Sif Gunnarsdóttir from the Office of the President of Iceland, Magnús Þór Torfason from the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Business and Economics, Katrín Olga Jóhannesdóttir from the Iceland Chamber of Commerce, Þórunn Sveinbjörnsdóttir from the Icelandic Confederation of Labour, and Hildur Árnadóttir from Business Iceland, which also manages the award’s organization and funding.