AAK Annual Report 2017

A very special year as Chairman of the Board of AAK has FRPH WR DQ HQG DQG LW LV D JUHDW SOHDVXUH IRU PH WR FRQ¿UP that the company continues to develop and demonstrate LWV FDSDELOLWLHV DQG FXVWRPHU EHQH¿WV ZLWKLQ WKH ZRUOG RI vegetable oils and fats. Although being new to this particular role, my experience working with AAK dates back to the turn of the century. 7KDW LV ZKHQ 0HONHU 6FK|UOLQJ ERXJKW KLV ¿UVW VKDUHV LQ Karlshamns AB and asked me to represent him on the Board of Directors. At that time, operations were limited to Karlshamn, Sweden and the Netherlands, and, needless to say, a lot has happened since then. During the past twelve months I have got to know AAK and its employees more closely. This has not only been a great pleasure for me but also a very good learning experience. I have visited a number of AAK sites, including the ones in Colombia and Mexico where the company has a strong posi- tion. I have also spent some time at the site in Karlshamn and the one in Mumbai, India. In September, I participated at the inauguration of AAK’s new factory in Zhangjiagang, China, a grand event and a very important milestone for the company. New CEO, same ambitions After the successful establishment of AAK under the leader- VKLS RI -HUNHU +DUWZDOO WKH FRPSDQ\¶V GHYHORSPHQW RYHU WKH last decade can to a great extent be attributed to our former CEO Arne Frank who very unfortunately passed away last summer. During his seven years with the company, Arne established AAK as a world-leading player in the market for value-adding vegetable oils and fats and he is, of course, deeply missed by all of us. But what is still here, stronger than ever, is the very competent global organization that Arne, together with his managers, created. To lead this successful team, the Board of Directors has appointed a new CEO with broad industrial and international experience. Johan Westman has over the past ten years successfully developed companies to drive VKDUHKROGHU YDOXH WKURXJK SUR¿WDELOLW\ LPSURYHPHQWV RUJDQLF JURZWK DV ZHOO DV JOREDO H[SDQVLRQ , DP FRQ¿GHQW WKDW KH will continue to develop AAK in the best possible way. &KDLUPDQ RI WKH %RDUG An extraordinary year with good progress and development 2