A word from our President
Reflecting on 2023 generates many mixed feelings. As a result of politics, war, and economic uncertainty, we have seen people suffer in different ways globally. In these hard times, I am pleased that we, through our charity unit, CellMark
Cares, have provided financial support to 12 non-profit organizations with different important missions. As our second Guiding Principle reads: “We care about the future welfare, health and well-being of our people, our business partners, and the communities in which we operate.” This has never been more important.
On an operational level, 2023 was a very strong year for our Group. All five business divisions performed well and contributed to the result. Obstacles have, of course, come our way, but our optimistic mindset helped us turn them into new opportunities. This mindset aligns very well with the theme of this year’s Financial Summary, which is “Limitless”.
Limitlessness is in many ways the essence of our vision of Surpassing Expectations. To wake up every new day, striving to do a little better than yesterday, we need to believe that there are no limits. This mindset is strongly rooted in our organization, and it is one of the main reasons behind our company’s success.
During the year, we continued to seek opportunities to expand our business close to our core competencies. We acquired Lenvale Group, a paper industry leader, and Novara Group, a plastic resins supplier. We also, as per the exclusive sales and marketing agreement signed with Norske Skog, completed the transfer of all Norske Skog’s sales activities in Italy to CellMark. This long-term agreement makes CellMark the exclusive sales agent in Italy for all publication paper and recycled containerboard products produced by Norske Skog.
ESG & Compliance continued to be a high priority for us in 2023. The expectations from our external partners are increasing year by year, and we continue to ensure we have the resources needed to meet the requirements. In November, we launched our updated Code of Conduct and revamped our framework of policies, guidelines, and directives. I am confident that all these updates will serve as the best foundation and guidance for the future.
We completed our fifth employee opinion survey, conducted by the independent consulting firm, Great Place To Work®. The survey showed remarkably great results with a response rate of 93 percent – an all-time high!
On the IT side, we continued our ever-vigilant efforts to build resilience against cyber threats. We increased our focus on automation and robotization to improve everyday efficiency and accuracy. Through a business intelligence project, we strengthened our analytical capabilities to refine and hasten our decision-making processes. We also investigated AI opportunities that may add value to our business.
As always, I want to express my deepest appreciation and thanks to our customers, suppliers, and dedicated employees. With great people and great partners, it is easy to embrace a limitless mindset. Thank you!
Christer Simrén,
President & CEO
