Thomas Ekman New CEO of Axel Johnson

Thomas Ekman takes up his role as CEO of Axel Johnson today, a transition that was announced in October 2022. Thomas most recently served as the CEO of Dustin Group, succeeding Mia Brunell Livfors, who has been CEO of Axel Johnson since 2015.

Since 2015, Axel Johnson has grown from 67 billion kronor in revenue to reach 118 billion kronor in 2022. The group has undergone rapid renewal toward the transformation goal 10/50, which means that 50% of the revenue in ten years should come from things that are not yet being done today. Over the last few years, the group has made about 20 acquisitions per year as part of this renewal, while selling consumer discretionary retail companies Åhléns and KICKS.

Thomas Ekman, CEO Axel Johnson:

"In my previous close cooperation with Axel Johnson, I have come to appreciate the strong combination of long-term vision, impatience, and community involvement that characterizes the group. Axel Johnson has just taken a historic step by leaving the traditional consumer discretionary retail business. This creates room for us to set the direction going forward. With financial strength, subsidiaries that show resilience in a tough economic environment, and a culture marked by collaboration, renewal, and the strong values of a family business, we have every reason to be optimistic. I am convinced that we have all the prerequisites for both continued profitable growth and for a positive impact on society, in both existing and new areas."

Caroline Berg, Chairman of the Board at Axel Johnson:

"As Thomas Ekman now succeeds Mia Brunell Livfors, we transition from one outstanding leader to another. Thomas is a highly regarded leader with broad competence and experience in leading companies in both listed and private environments. He possesses a strong commitment that aligns very well with our perspective on long-term business development and our aspiration to merge business and societal benefits. This assures me that Thomas is the right person to work with colleagues across our companies to continue renewing and evolving Axel Johnson.

Mia, through a rare combination of sharpness, strength, and humanism, has, over her eight-year period as CEO, made crucial contributions in driving a renewal that positions us strongly for the future."

Thomas Ekman has extensive leadership experience and became CEO of Dustin Group, where Axel Johnson is the largest shareholder, in January 2018. He has previously served as CEO of Cabonline Group and CEO of Tele2 Sweden and has extensive experience in leading commercial roles within telecommunications and media.

Mia Brunell Livfors, upon leaving her role as CEO, has joined the board of Axel Johnson and remains as Chairman of the Board at Axfood and at Dustin (Thomas Ekman is set to succeed her as Chairman at Dustin according to the nomination committee's proposal at the meeting in December).