Foreword: Henrik Wettergren
The theme of this newsletter is the people behind your pulp: Our members, as represented by the portrait of one of our 52,000 family foresters, Göran Lindell, who remembers sitting on the sledge on top of the timber as a child, while his father was harvesting wood from the family farm. Then there’s Malin Liljesson, one of the many faces behind the scenes on the mill floors, in the new role of Health & Safety Project Leader – the job title speaks for itself in terms of importance. Our snapshot is a brief introduction to Tristan Peil, one of two new Sales Directors who are joining our team before the summer break (more on the second one in next month’s letter – he joins 1 June). Tristan’s appointment brings a wealth of experience from the print and containerboard side of the value chain, and we are delighted to welcome him.
Our people and their competence are our greatest asset. Disruption and uncertainty are unwelcome but also catalysts for change. We wouldn’t have been able to run the business from our kitchen tables during the pandemic had the expertise and communication not been there already, but now is not the time to sit back or cut back. This is true for paper pulp but dissolving pulp too, with initiatives such as OnceMore® by Södra forging ahead for a more circular textile industry – great to see Johannes Bogren and Angeline Elfström part of the discussion in Paris earlier this month.
With digitalisation accelerating, uncertainty escalating, inflation soaring and unprecedented disruption to supply chains, we need to respond with an even sharper focus and efficiency drive, both internally, but also in our offering to customers.
To this end, we are expanding our organization and restructuring. Benjamin Bruck takes on a new role as Head of Business Development. He will take the lead in overseeing everything from SMI optimization to internal efficiency and customer focus. And given that we had 28,000 trucks leave our mill gates and terminals in 2021 alone….he will be a busy man.
His role as Head of Sales Paper Pulp Global will be filled by Jens Hallendorff who is returning to Södra (read more in the article). It’s the second time I’ve recruited him actually, so we are delighted he’s back. Meanwhile, Jonas Larsson will add the role of Senior Advisor Forestry to his list of duties as he returns to Växjo after five years in Munich.
Our aim is to reflect the changing nature of the customer relationship which is now about so much more than volume and price. These will never diminish in importance, of course, but our vision is one of partnership to add real value. Take communication, for example. If we can help deliver the sustainability message beyond our customer base to the consumer, we see this as a win-win. Don’t just see for yourself how we manage our forests to the highest standards – bring your customers too. Our expanded Sales team, as well as the new duties taken on by Benjamin and Jonas, reflects our desire to enhance the bonds and communication between us and you, across all aspects of the business. We hope the results will speak for themselves.
Vice President Södra Cell International Phone: +46 470 894 52
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Subjects: Pulp
