Controlant‘s volunteer day kicks off with a UNICEF workshop

Volunteer day initiative launched in 2024

Earlier this year, Controlant launched its volunteer day initiative, which gives every employee the opportunity to dedicate one work day every year to volunteer activities of their own choice.

Community engagement and social responsibility are integral parts of Controlant‘s purpose and culture, connecting the company‘s actions beyond its traditional value chain. Balancing environmental, social, and economic performance is an essential aspect of Controlant‘s ambition to become a sustainability leader in its industry. By collaborating with local initiatives, the company strives to give back to its communities.

With 450 employees representing significant diversity in terms of nationalities, professional backgrounds, skills, and experience, the volunteer day is an opportunity to contribute in new and impactful ways to the communities where Controlant has a presence and beyond.

Project management applied: from fundraising to advocacy programs

The project management workshop with UNICEF organized by the implementation team at Controlant, is one of the first volunteer day activities to roll out at the initiative of employees. In the workshop, the team covered some of the fundamentals of project management and offered practical exercises to empower participants put new concepts to work.

Birna Thórarinsdóttir, Executive Director of UNICEF Iceland:

“The day was immensely meaningful for us and left us all better equipped to tackle the many tasks and projects we face every day, often urgent and very diverse. The Controlant team was very well prepared and gave us exactly the understanding and tools that we needed. It was also a joy to sense how rewarding the experience was for them as well. It was a beautiful win-win day for us all.“

Giacomo engaging with the UNICEF team in Iceland during the workshop.

Across more than 190 countries and territories, UNICEF does whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive, and fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

The National Committee for UNICEF in Iceland advances children's rights locally and globally. Fundraising for UNICEF's global efforts is a key part of their work. From 2005 through 2023, the national committee has raised 5.7 billion ISK for UNICEF globally (over 40 million USD), driven primarily by individual contributions through the Global Parents initiative. The national committee has recruited the highest number of Global Parents donors per capita. In 2023, they raised 890 million ISK (over 6 million USD), the second-highest amount it has ever raised.

Breakout sessions: hard at work to deliver results for children across the world.

Giacomo Cortellino, Implementation Project Manager at Controlant:

“The opportunity to run this workshop for UNICEF was more emotionally rewarding than we could have imagined. Project management is the subject in which all of us have invested a big part of our lives, from university studies to additional private certifications and, finally, our jobs. Being able to use our gained skills and knowledge for something with a higher moral impact, such as UNICEF's missions, demonstrated that our professional expertise can contribute meaningfully to important causes.“

In partnership with UNICEF

In 2023, Controlant entered into a three-year partnership with UNICEF in Iceland. The partnership is one of the cornerstones in Controlant‘s community engagement work which spans collaboration with initiatives of all kinds and sizes.

UNICEF in Iceland and Controlant are united in raising awareness about the importance of childhood vaccinations and, in March 2024, partnered with the Chief Epidemiologist in Iceland to launch a joint campaign to raise awareness for child vaccinations. Held in conjunction with World Immunization Week, the campaign highlighted the life-saving impact of vaccines and their effectiveness in preventing the spread of diseases and promoting healthy childhoods.

Learn more about UNICEF.