New Head of HR
seeks dynamics
“What makes Swedish Match such a fantastic company is the combination of its people and the business situation,” says Mats Adamson, the new Senior Vice President Human Resources at Swedish Match. Apart from his 13 years at Swedish Match, Mats has an exciting background, which includes roots in Estonia and ten years as an officer in the Marines. What now awaits are new challenges in his role as Head of Group Human Resources.
“THE EMPLOYEES ARE one of Swedish Match’s principal assets. Working with HR issues at a global level makes me feel tremendously privileged.”
Mats Adamson succeeded Göran Streiffert as Senior Vice President Human Resources and Head of Group Human Resources on January 1, 2007. Adamson’s previous position was Vice President Human Resources within
the North Europe Division.
The step from a division to a Group staff entailed moving from an operational position close to operations and markets to one that involves a more strategic and global approach.
“My predecessor, Göran Streiffert, and I have worked closely together in the past year. My preparations for the new position included traveling round the world and getting to know the organization,” Mats explains.
“At present, I am mainly focusing on acquainting myself with my new duties and gaining deeper insight into various matters. Long term, however, my principal task will be to ensure that the Human Resources Depart ment supports our business strategies.”
Adamson has long-standing experience of strategic HR, management and organizational matters, including positions outside Swedish Match. For example, he was in the Marines for ten years. Adamson explains that during his time in the Marines, the incidents involving foreign submarines in Swedish waters occurred in the 1980s, when he had to put his knowledge to use in a war-like situation. “That gave me experience that has also been extremely useful to me in my civilian career; for example, leading and motivating people in challenging and pressing situations.” In 1994, Mats was recruited to a cigarette
operation in Estonia that had just been acquired by Svenska Tobaks AB.
“One of the reasons why I was headhunted for that position was that I spoke fluent Estonian. Both of my parents are from Estonia.”
Two years later, he was offered the position of HR Manager for the North Europe Division of Swedish Match.
“It’s a great company. Swedish Match believes in its employees and gives them the opportunity to grow.”
Mats does not hesitate a second when asked why he is so happy at work: The employees and the business situation.
“I have great colleagues all over the world. The company has a welcoming, generous climate. It is also a flat organization that makes it easy to discuss matters with each other.”
“With respect to the business situation, I believe that one of our competitive benefits is that it has an exciting product portfolio that offers great potential.” He also emphasizes the favorable consequences that result from Swedish Match being such a well-managed and profitable company.
“A profitable company makes it possible to invest in the operations, in both the hard and the soft aspects. Human resources is an example of a soft aspect that has received more attention in recent years and that we are currently focusing on a lot.”
One of our main tasks is to ensure that company has the right employees for tackling new situations. In order to supply these resources, both experienced and new competencies are needed.
“This is exemplified by the North Europe Division, where we have mixed internal and external recruitment favorably to the new, highly competitive market. Everything is so mobile and transient that the organization has to have such a dynamic if we are to succeed”, Mats says.
STORY: LOTTA ÖRTNÄS
PHOTO: VICTOR BROTT
| MATS ADAMSON |
| BORN: 1959. |
| FAMILY: Wife and three sons aged 19, 16 and 3 years. |
| LIVES: in Segeltorp, Huddinge. |
| ROOTS? Both in Sweden and Estonia. I was born in Västerås, Sweden, but my parents are from Estonia. |
| USE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS? Not on a daily basis, but at a dinner party I enjoy a good cigar or a portion of snuff. |
| RELAXATION? I work out in various ways, through sports, carpentry or gardening. |
| FAVORITE PLACE? I would have to say Provence in France, where I spend a lot of my time in the summer. |
| ADVICE FOR FINDING A BALANCE IN LIFE? It’s necessary to look at the big picture and ensure that it works – to achieve a balance between work and family. If you create time for both of these parts, you will achieve a harmony. |
| CHARACTERISTICS THAT YOU APPRECIATE: Honesty is tremendously important. I also like people who can listen and can generously share their experiences and knowledge with others. |
We work for less emissions
Swedish Match was ranked in the second best category when the Climate Index was prepared by Swedish insurance company Folksam. This index surveys the Swedish companies’ emissions of carbon dioxide from fuel and their climate awareness. It should also be noted that the climate issue is only one of the environmental areas in which Swedish Match works to promote sustainable development.
MANY RESEARCHERS REGARD climate changes, or the greenhouse effect, as one of the most serious environmental problems, and the topic is the subject of lively debate in the political arena and among the media. In January this year, the European Commission submitted a proposal urging the governments of all EU countries to agree that by 2020 they will have reduced emissions of greenhouse gases by 20 percent, compared with the level in 1990.
Swedish Match understands the importance of environmental issues and works continuously to achieve improvements in, and to maintain a systematic environmental and quality focus on, such areas as the use of water and energy and waste handling.
“It is a matter of continuously striving to achieve a balance between business goals and the environmental demands of stakeholders. All commercial initiatives must be measured on the basis of both financial and environmental criteria,” says Nina Hanses, Vice President Management Resources, who is responsible for the global coordination of Swedish Match’s environmental work.
It is within the divisions, meaning at a local level, that the tangible environmental work is conducted. Every division and major business unit has an environmental manager. In 2005, a corporate environmental council was estab- lished to coordinate Group-wide projects and facilitate an exchange of knowledge and experience and compliance with Swedish Match’s environmental policy.
“Our top-priority environmental goal is to limit emissions that have an impact on the climate. Since we are aware that our production operations account for the greatest part of our carbon dioxide emissions, this is where we have to devote most effort. That can be measures like switching to more environmentally friendly energy sources and accomplishing energy-saving programs”, Nina Hanses continues.
About 80 percent of consolidated sales originate from units that have been granted ISO 14001 certification. The production units of General Cigar, which was incorporated into the Group in 2005, are next in line for certification.
Folksam has been preparing a climate index for nine years and the focus of the index has evolved from quantitative to qualitative matters. It examines how the 40 largest listed companies in Sweden, as well as ten unlisted companies of general interest, conduct their work on the climate issue. The most recent survey was presented in February 2007.
STORY: MIA HANELL
PHOTO: VICTOR BROTT
Swedish Match’s climate efforts in brief
RÉSUMÉ OF SWEDISH MATCH’S CLIMATE EFFORTS TOTAL EMISSIONS IN 2005: 73,927 TONS
Production
Many of the plants in Europe have switched to natural gas and “green” electricity, and several other units have introduced energy-saving programs. As a result of these efforts, emissions were reduced by approximately 10 percent between 2003 and 2005. 6 7 %
Goods transportation
As a consequence of restructuring, planning of logistics and effective transportation chains and vehicles, emissions have been reduced by about 20 percent in two years. 1 4 %
Properties
Most of the Swedish Match units in Europe and North America have introduced programs for reducing the energy consumed for heating and lighting. During 2003-2005, carbon dioxide emissions were reduced by more than 15 percent. 8 %
Business travel
The North Europe Division’s sales force has been offered gas-powered cars, as one of the efforts to reduce the environmental load. Other measures that make a favorable contribution include arranging more video and telephone conferences. 1 1 %
