SNAPSHOT: Pär Davidsson

Pär Davidsson took over as Head of Market Intelligence for Södra Cell International at the beginning of the month. It’s hard to imagine a more challenging or important time for him to be taking on the role. 

Reflections

“In turbulent times, it’s especially important to take business decisions based on as much knowledge of the bigger picture as we can gather. Right now, we are looking at the impact of new trade wars, for example, but also at the potential implications on our sector of impending legislation in Europe such as the EUDR. Then there are the industry-specific trends driven by climate change, raw material supply, the softwood-hardwood gap, innovation, NGOs and consumers, to name but a few. All of these factors help us to understand the world in which we trade and how to better serve our customers in the future. It’s vital these days to be proactive but also flexible and open to changing course quickly in the face of unexpected challenges.

I’m analytical by nature with a background in macro-economics and this is a data-driven role which suits my approach. It’s not all about the data, however. I’m looking forward to working very closely with the other members of the Södra Cell International team and travelling to visit our customers and hear their perspective of the market. 

It’s important to draw on as much as input as possible from the value chain, from consultants’ capacity reports to the issues of most concern to customers. That way we can understand the trends driving the business. AI will become an increasingly-important and necessary tool, but it is no substitute for the knowledge and experience of the people that make up our value chain. I’m looking forward to meeting our customers very soon.”