Lennart Alexandie, Editor-in-Chief of Detektor, started the award ceremony by telling a story about the first time he met with Martin Gren, 12 years ago.

"I had booked a meeting with a technology developer that wanted to show me a new way of using video surveillance. His name was Martin Gren and his company was Axis Communications. The meeting was about network video, about how you could turn analog signals into digital through a video server," said Mr. Alexandrie.

"The evolutionary technology was met with great sceptisism from the security industry. When we published the first article on network video in the security press we, more or less, were declared as idiots," Mr. Alexandrie told the crowd of 360 banquet quests that had gathered on the 20th of October on the Stockholm International Fairs.

"By now Martin Grens idea has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry and maybe the fastest growing sub-sector for the market of security technology systems," he concluded before reading the motivation for awarding Martin Gren.

"As the founder of Axis Communications, Martin Green's work has lead to a situation in which Sweden shines as the global market leader within network video for security surveillance. With a strong vision linked to a unique entrepreneurship, he has not only built an extremely successful company but also contributed to the start and development of a rapidly growing multi-billion dollar industry. This pioneering effort makes Martin Gren an industrialist without comparison on today's international security market. For his grand achievement, based on a deep insight in the possibilities of technology and understanding of the market's demands, as well as his extraordinary businessmanship, Martin Gren is awarded the 2009 Life Time Achievement Award by the security trade magazine Detektor."

Detektor Life Time Achievement Award was initiated in 2008 and is awarded a person that under his/her career has:

- Significanly contributed to raise the security consciousness of businesses and governmental organisations

or/and

- In a substantial way contributed to the reputation of the security industry

or/and

- In a distinguished way push the security industry forward.

Axis Communications was founded by Martin Gren and Mikeal Karlsson in Lund, Sweden 25 years ago (1984). Since then the company has developed and grown so heavily that Axis Communications today is the global market leader for network cameras, primarily used for security video survellance.

Axis Communications has received numerous awards this year such as "The big Export-prize" and "The big Design Prize" and Martin Gren has also been a representative of Sweden in the World Finals of Ernst&Young Entrepreneur of the year.