Internal investment the motive for
participation
The winner of the second stage of
the Whitbread Round the World Race was the yacht sponsored by the
company Swedish Match. For Swedish Match, the Whitbread Race
represents part of a new programme of internal development and
training.
At every port of call, information
is spread to all employees about the region concerned and the
company’s activities there. Specific projects on all levels
of the company are helping to create and establish a set of
values that will characterise the corporate activities of the
future.
The new company was founded a year
ago, when the various parts of the business were brought together
to form one single structure under the name Swedish Match.
The aim of the internal
development programme is to create a new, shared corporate
culture. Key words in this endeavour are: communication,
co-operation, confidence, innovation, recognition, and growth. We
need to enhance our understanding of all parts of the business,
says Göran Ekdahl, Vice President Corporate Communications, at
Swedish Match. For Swedish Match, growth is not only about money,
but also about the personal devlopment of everyone who
contributes to the company’s achievements. The global
programme is giving the group's employees the opportunity to get
to know and understand not only their own business, but all the
other lines of business within the group.
Swedish Match is a global company
with operations in the tobacco industry and in manufacturing
matches and disposable lighters. The group has 6,500 employees
working in 24 factories, 43 sales offices, and four
administrative offices. Turnover in 1996 amounted to approx. 7.4
billion Swedish kronor.
For further information, please
contact:
Göran Ekdahl, Chief Information
Officer, Swedish Match
Phone: +46 8 658 02 00
Mobile: +46 70 858 11 62
(On the spot in Freemantle is Bo
Aulin, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs. He will be
happy to answer questions about Swedish Match and its internal
development programme.)