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Executive Committee

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is made up of Axfood’s President and CEO, and an additional nine executives or subsidiary presidents.

Holdings of own and related parties' shares as of 31 March 2023. For continuously updated information regarding insider transactions, visit the website of the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen).

Klas Balkow

President and CEO, Axfood

Born: 1965

Employee since: 2017

Other posts: Chairman of Swedish Food Retailers Federation and Director of Swedish Trade Federation.

Education: Secondary School Engineering, SSE Executive Education.

Experience: CEO, Clas Ohlson, CEO, Aximage (previously a business area in Axel Johnson), senior positions with Procter & Gamble in the Nordic countries and the USA, and Bredbandsbolaget.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2017

Number of Axfood shares: 48 267

Sandra Brånstad

General Counsel Axfood

Born: 1975

Employee since: 2018

Other posts: Director of Ortala AB and Pensan AB.

Education: Candidate of Law, Stockholm University.

Experience: Lawyer, most recently as partner and Director at Ramberg Advokater.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2022

Number of Axfood shares: 8 001

Thomas Evertsson

Managing Director, Willys

Born: 1964

Employee since: 2008

Other posts: Chairman of Eurocash Food AB. Director of Best Transport AB, Jula AB, City Gross Sverige AB and Svensk Plaståtervinning i Motala AB.

Education: M.Sc. Econ., School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg.

Experience: Hypermarket Manager, Head of Chain Operations, Coop Supermarkets; President, Coop Sverige; Vice President, Coop Norden.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2008

Number of Axfood shares: 23 192

Karin Hedlund

Head of IT

Born: 1966

Employee since: 2020

Education: M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.

Experience: CIO Lantmännen, Head of Project Delivery and Build & Deploy Ericsson, Development Manager Axfood IT, Senior Manager Accenture.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2020

Number of Axfood shares: 4 608

Sara Kraft Westrell

Head of Corporate Communications

Born: 1974

Employee since: 2018

Education: M. Sc. Business Administration, Lund University and National University of Singapore

Experience: Director of Information, Clas Ohlson and Hexagon; Marketing and Communications Director, JB Education; Communications Adviser, Kreab and Brunswick.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2018

Number of Axfood shares: 8 944

Anders Lexmon

Chief Financial Officer 

Born: 1968

Employee since: 2002

Education: M.Sc. Agricultural Economics and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)

Experience: Head of Financial Control, Axfood; Head of Group Accounting, Axfood; Head of Group Accounting, SJ; auditor, KPMG

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2017

Number of Axfood shares: 14 237

Monica Längbo

Head of Human Resources

Born: 1963

Employee since: 2019

Education: Executive MBA; secondary teaching certificate, Stockholm University; board, leadership and strategic HR courses.

Experience: Head of HR Sweden and Denmark, HR Director & Head of Information/PR/Communication, Head of Leadership Development & Executive Recruitment, Manpower Group; Leadership and Organizational consultant, own firm.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2019

Number of Axfood shares: 5 287

Simone Margulies

Managing Director, Hemköpskedjan

Born: 1978

Employee since: 2016

Other posts: Director of KRAV.

Education: M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.

Experience: Deputy Managing Director, Dagab Inköp & Logistik; Business Area Manager Dagab; Business Area Manager, ICA Sweden; Analyst Manager, ICA Sweden; Supply Chain Development, ABB.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2020

Number of Axfood shares: 5 151

Eva Pettersson

Managing Director, Snabbgross

Born: 1966

Employee since: 2004

Education: M.Sc. Econ., Linköping University; studies at the University of East Anglia; management training at Novare.

Experience: Managing Director, Axfood Närlivs; Head of Business Development, Dagab; Systems Manager, Axfood IT; food retailing consultant, Accenture.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2014

Number of Axfood shares: 15 617

Nicholas Pettersson

Managing Director, Dagab Inköp & Logisitik

Born: 1976

Employee since: 2004

Other posts: Chairman of Hall Miba.

Education: M.Sc. Econ., Växjö University.

Experience: Managing Director, Axfood Närlivs; Market Manager, Axfood Närlivs; Business Area Head, Axfood Snabbgross; Supply Chain Manager, Svenska Shell; Business Analyst, Shell Detaljist.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2009

Number of Axfood shares: 13 375

Carl Stenbeck

Head of Strategy and Business Development

Born: 1979

Employee since: 2018

Other posts: Chairman of Urban Deli. Director of Apohem and Mathem.

Education: M.Sc., Chalmers University of Technology; M.Sc., School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg.

Experience: Global Head of Digital Development, H&M; management consultant, Boston Consulting Group and Accenture; Programme Manager, Papyrus.

Member of Axfood's Executive Committee since: 2018

Number of Axfood shares: 6 000