STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 26, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Mats Williamson is to become the new President of Skanska Sweden. He succeeds Anders Elfner, who has decided to leave Skanska (Stockholm:SKAb). Mats Williamson is 44 years old and has worked within Skanska since 1981. His most recent posting has been as President of Skanska International Projects.
"In recent years, we have carried out a correct and necessary restructuring of our Swedish operations into clearly defined geographical regions and with distinct product segments. During the spring, we have developed a program covering ethics, quality and competitiveness. With the new focus, my day to day involvement in projects has decreased and I have therefore elected to stand aside and make room for new forces in the continued process of change," said Anders Elfner.
Johan Karlstrom, Executive Vice President at Skanska, with responsibility for construction operations in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland comments on the change of leadership at Skanska Sweden: "Sweden is one of Skanska's largest and most important markets. In general, Skanska Sweden is a well-run and profitable company and we appreciate the efforts that Anders Elfner has made. Unfortunately, these have been overshadowed in the media and public opinion by a few projects where the level of quality promised was not delivered. We must reinforce confidence in Skanska among our customers, partners and investors. We are currently intensifying the process of change aimed at securing quality, ethics and profitability in a long-term perspective."
"Important management tasks will now involve implementing change at a high pace while focusing on profitability and communicating Skanska's values and Code of Conduct, both internally and externally, to establish a clear, strong and uniform image of the Group," said Johan Karlstrom.
"It is with this context in mind that we have selected Mats Williamson to lead the next phase of development. Skanska Sweden will benefit from Mats Williamson's long management experience and expertise in conducting complicated, large-scale projects and comprehensive processes of change. His efforts in heading the OEresund Bridge project attracted attention for the new forms of cooperation that were developed with the customer and partner companies. Following this, he implemented a restructuring of Skanska International Projects," said Stuart Graham, President and CEO Skanska AB.
For further information please contact:
Tor Krusell, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Skanska AB, +46 8 753 87 47 Mats Williamson, President, Skanska Sweden, +46 8 504 368 56 or +46 70 370 51 50
This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com
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