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NEW CEO AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
For the first time in Mellby Gård’s history spanning almost 40
years, a CEO from outside the family was appointed, namely
Mikael Helmerson, who for the past three years has served
as Deputy CEO of the Group. Sven Knutsson was simultaneously
appointed Deputy CEO and will work closely with Mikael Helmerson in
day-to-day operations.
Rune Andersson remains on the Board of Directors, which now
consists solely of members of the Andersson family. Apart from Rune
and Johan, the other two sons, Gustav and Erik Andersson, remain
members of the Board.
“As I passed the age of 80 in 2024, it seemed appropriate to hand over
the role of Chairman of the Board,” says Rune Andersson. “I haven’t
had the same problems as many other family businesses, where the
children want to do other things, but have been lucky in that all three of
my sons are entrepreneurs.”
Johan Andersson sees the changes in the Board and management as
the start of a new and exciting phase for Mellby Gård.
“This is part of a natural succession,” says Johan Andersson. “I was
CEO of Mellby Gård for eleven years, and it felt like the time was right to stand by their own opinions. And Mikael definitely has the ability to do
move on. We’ve always said that these kinds of changes should be made
when the company and the family are doing well. This was one such
golden opportunity.” He goes on to say:
“My view is also that you shouldn’t be CEO for too long. It felt right to important to remember from time to time.
hand over to Mikael Helmerson to bring in new blood and fresh ideas.”
SUCCESSFUL STRATEGIES DO NOT CHANGE
At the same time, the changes will not have a dramatic impact on
Mellby Gård’s operations.
“We’ll continue to pursue the same strategies as before,” says Johan
Andersson. “They’ve worked well for almost 40 years and we expect
them to continue to do so. We’ll continue to be active, long-term
owners and primarily grow within our existing verticals.”
His new role as Chairman of the Board means, first and foremost,
that he will be able to take on greater and more comprehensive
responsibility.
“Mikael Helmerson will be responsible for the operational work,
which means I can focus my time and energy on potential new major
investments, capital allocations and other strategic initiatives,” says
Johan Andersson.
WORKED CLOSELY WITH THE OWNER FAMILY
FOR MANY YEARS
Mikael Helmerson has worked at Mellby Gård for ten years, first as CEO
of one of the Group’s largest companies, Roxtec, and in recent years as
Deputy CEO.
"I am honoured by the confidence and look forward to the journey
ahead, particularly because I will be the Group’s first CEO from outside
the family,” he says. “As I’ve worked closely with the family for many
years, we know each other well and I’m confident that this will work
out perfectly. At the same time, I’m aware of my role; I am the CEO, the
family is the owner and makes up the Board of Directors. But a major
difference compared to many other companies is that 100 percent
of the ownership is represented on the Board, which I believe is very
positive for the Group and for me as CEO.”
Mellby Gård is now performing better than ever. Over the past
decade, net sales, profitability and the number of employees almost
quadrupled. Mikael Helmerson believes that the Group’s long-term
ownership model, combined with its stated ambition to perform better
each year than the previous year, lies behind the strong growth.
“Of course, we will encounter challenges and exciting opportunities,
and my main responsibility is to continuously ensure that our existing
companies get the support they need to continue to achieve profitable
growth,” says Mikael Helmerson.
IMPROVING ON LAST YEAR’S PERFORMANCE – A CLEAR
AND EFFECTIVE GOAL
Mellby Gård’s overall goal of consistently improving on last year’s
performance is still in place, despite the changes that are occurring.
“The goal is clear and works well,” says Mikael Helmerson. “At the
same time, it’s important to realize that it takes a lot of work each day
to achieve it. After all, I was CEO of one of the Group’s subsidiaries and
experienced the owners’ unwavering belief in a long-term approach to
creating opportunities for growth, which is difficult to achieve if you
have a different view of ownership. The family makes extremely long-
term investments, rather than focusing solely on the next few years.”
Mikael Helmerson also expects to continue to have a great deal
of room for manoeuvre in his work. Chairman of the Board Johan
Andersson agrees.
“Integrity has always been a keyword of ours,” he says. “It’s important
to create space for a variety of opinions so that everyone feels able to
that,” says Johan Andersson.
Johan Andersson emphasizes that Mellby Gård is the sum of the
Group’s parts, something that may seem obvious but which it is
“Over the past decade, we managed to diversify our business in
an effective way,” says Johan Andersson. “We’re now operating
in more segments, all of which are equally important, and it is
gratifying that the overall picture has developed very favourably. Of
course, challenges do arise, which is natural in such a broad portfolio
encompassing so many different industries.”
Johan Andersson points out that, for example, the single-family
housing market and the agricultural and construction equipment
market faced challenges in recent years, while Feralco in the field of
water treatment chemicals and Roxtec in special seals managed to
grow very well, just like the consumer companies.
"Despite the ongoing trade war and general uncertainty, there are
still factors that can lead to decent consumption in the medium term,
largely due to the likelihood of noticeable increases in real income,”
says Johan Andersson. “We’re also seeing a decline in interest rates
and can sense a stabilisation of food and energy prices. In light of this,
it can be of particular interest to look at companies within Business-
to-Consumer, if one wants to be a bit contrarian”. He continues:
“I also believe that exciting opportunities can arise in the industrial
vertical, which is why it feels particularly good that Mikael Helmerson
is taking over the role of CEO, given his successful background in
Roxtec.”
NO DEMANDS ON THE THIRD GENERATION
It remains to be seen how Mellby Gård will be managed in the longer
term. The third generation of the Andersson family is made up of ten
cousins, the oldest being 18 years old. Johan Andersson says there has
been no discussion about how they might be trained in the business.
“I myself am very glad that no such demands were made of myself
or my two brothers,” he says. “I’ve seen great benefits in being able
to forge my own path with various external roles. After a while, it was
natural for me to start working in Mellby Gård. Overall, I strongly
believe in the changes we’ve now made. I look forward to continuing
to develop Mellby Gård as Chairman of the Board along with my father
and brothers – guided by heart and mind. It will also be exciting to
continue working with Mikael Helmerson to drive the Group forward
operationally,” he concludes.
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