his business philosophy, coined The strawberry philosophy, stems from a deeply formative memory selling strawberries for his dad during his childhood summers. When complaining to his dad about the quality of the berries his dad retorted "Sell the berries you have, they are the only berries you can sell" - so always making the most of the possibilities given to you, has been his guiding mantra through his business life. He is well known for his annual winter conference for thousands of Nordic Choice managers usually held in Sweden. In addition to a big party that has previously included live camels, celebrities, and especially composed music and stage acts, Stordalen gives his employees a motivational speech that, in the media, has been likened to a religious revival. Awards Scandinavian Businessman of the Year 2004 Grand Travel Awards to Nordic for Best Scandinavian Hotel Chain (2007 and 2008) and Best Work Place (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011) European Hotel Design Award 2008 for Stenungsbaden Yacht Club Sweden's most trusted brand 2008 from Reader's Digest - European Trusted Brands for Selma SPA Customer Excellence Award 2008 from Microsoft Business Solutions for Choice Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 Brightest Business Mind in Northern Europe 2016 by Nordic Business Forum Leader of the Year 2017, Grand Travel Award Sweden Environmentalism Stordalen first made his mark as an environmentalist in Norway supporting Norwegian NGO Bellona in the fight to free their expert Alexander Nikitin, charged with treason through espionage for his contributions to a Bellona report on nuclear safety within the Russian Northern Fleet. He has also participated in personal activism; in 2002 he broke into the UK nuclear treatment plant Sellafield and chained himself to the bridge of the plant for nine hours to protest the discharging of the radioactive element technetium-99 to the sea. In 2007 he was charged with trespassing after entering a restricted area at Malmøyakalven to protest the dumping of toxic mud in the Oslofjord. Together with his wife, Gunhild Anker Stordalen he has founded the couple's philanthropic organization, The Stordalen Foundation. The Stordalen Foundation focuses primarily on climate change: Rainforest Foundation Fund: Through the collaboration between Nordic Choice Hotels and Rainforest Foundation Norway the equivalent of 75 500 soccer fields of rainforest were conserved every year from 2010 to 2015. Technological development: The Stordalen foundation supports the non-profit environmental organization Zero. At the annual Zero-conference