Visitors to our office are now greeted by three new faces.
Louis, a very affectionate and stately Irish Wolfhound, is usually the first to welcome you. Close behind him you will often find the new Chief Executive Officer, Carl Löwegren, together with the recently appointed Sales Manager, Anders Thengberg.
Carl and Louis spend their days together in Carl’s office. The beautiful natural surroundings around our facility provide ideal opportunities for walks when it’s time for Louis to get some fresh air.
The two have become well acquainted with the area since Carl took on the role of Chairman of the Board this summer. He assumed the position of CEO in October. Not long after that, Anders Thengberg joined the company as Sales Manager.
Both Carl and Anders have spent most of their professional lives in the timber and wood products industry.
Opened IKEA stores in Moscow
Carl studied forestry (Master of Science in Forestry) at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in the early 1990s. Since then, his career has taken him to several countries.
– I began working in Russia in 1997 for the Finnish company Thomesto Oy. The focus there was harvesting Russian timber for export to Finland, Carl explains.
One year later, he continued working in Russia, this time for IKEA. Initially based in Saint Petersburg, he built supply chains for solid wood components from Russian factories to Scandinavian IKEA suppliers.
In 1999, he moved on to Moscow with the assignment of starting up and developing IKEA’s first industrial production of flat-pack furniture in Russia.
Just one year later, the first export of the BILLY bookcase left Russia’s largest furniture factory, while Carl also secured a domestic product range ahead of the opening of IKEA’s first store in Moscow.
Since then, Carl has held senior positions at companies including Swedwood and Kingfisher, as well as working as an entrepreneur.
– During my career, I’ve lived in England, Poland and Russia, says Carl, who now lives in Lomma in southern Sweden with his family and commutes weekly to Tvärskog.
– During the week, Louis and I stay in a small house by the Kalmarsund.
Selling furniture in Mauritius
When Carl recruited Anders Thengberg as the new Sales Manager, there was no need for a CV. The two have known each other since the early 2000s, when they both worked for IKEA in Russia.
– I spent three years on international assignment for IKEA, travelling across Russia and sourcing timber for furniture production, Anders explains.
Before that, he had already accumulated many years of experience in the timber industry. Among other things, he spent several years as a timber importer in England during the 1980s and ran his own export company in Gothenburg in the 1990s.
A few years later, he settled in Mauritius, where he started a family and became a father to a daughter.
– My wife and I ran a furniture company that designed and produced furniture for hotels in Mauritius. We manufactured, among other things, sofas, tables and chairs.
In recent years, Anders has worked as a freelance consultant within the industry. When Carl asked him to join Andrewex Tvärskog Timber AB as a colleague, he couldn’t say no.
– Of course, the current market conditions present major challenges, but I’m really looking forward to taking on this role together with Carl. It’s an inspiring challenge to grow in difficult times.
Strong plans for the future
Carl agrees that he and Anders are stepping into the company at a challenging time for the industry.
– Yes, but this company rests on an excellent foundation. We have highly skilled employees and a solid history. The company was founded back in 1934 – more than 90 years ago!
Now, Anders and Carl share a strong ambition to make Andrewex Tvärskog Timber AB even more relevant to the market.
– We are very strong in value-added processing, he says emphatically, highlighting both our well-regarded finger-jointed structural timber and the new planing line.
– That’s why we will now focus even more on further processing, he continues, gently patting Louis on the back as the dog stands next to his owner in the conference room, asking for attention with his dark brown eyes.
– Right, Louis? That’s the specialist expertise we are known for.