Since December 2022, you have been Head of Technical and Sustainability for Scandinavia. What are your responsibilities?

When colleagues in Denmark, Sweden and Norway have technical questions about our products, I help them and find solutions. As sustainable building are very important in Scandinavia, I also get a lot of questions about CO2 neutrality, Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), and Lifecycle analysis (LCA) calculations from our customers. Architects and construction companies do calculations, and their focus is on comparing our products with others in a life cycle. My job is to show them that our products are very sustainable and have a longer life compared to others.

What is the biggest challenge?

Initially it has been the case that the building systems and techniques differ greatly from country to country within Scandinavia, which can sometimes be a bit challenging.

What are your main arguments to convince people to build with AAC?

When building with other materials, for example multilayer constructions with wood, there are many different components and materials involved. This makes the construction complex, and many times important aspects such as moisture safety depends on a piece of tape and the way it is applicated. If you build with our products, you have a simple assembly and a very safe and secure product. In terms of sound, fire, moisture, and insulation. It should be easy to do it right and difficult to do it wrong, not vice versa.

And of course, that our AAC and CSU (calcium-silicate units) are long lasting, sustainable materials consisting of mineral raw materials with the possibility of recycling and reuse in our factories.

The first house built with AAC was built in Sweden in the 1920s, and it is still standing with the same plastering and finish. If that isn´t evidence enough of a sustainable and long-lasting solution, then what is?

You used to work for Xella. Why did you leave the company then?

I'm a curious guy, I want to develop myself all the time. I wanted to know more about other masonry products and try something new. But the love of AAC was to strong, so here I am again.

How has Xella changed since you left more than five years ago?

My feeling is that we today are an even more modern company; we work more internationally, using our size as a strength.

You’ve always worked in the building industry. Why did you choose this industry?

While I finished my studies as a building engineer, I was given the opportunity to start working for another company that also produces and sells AAC. Now that I think about it, I didn't choose the industry, the industry in some sense chose me, and now I gladly live it. ????

Autoclaved Aerated Concrete “AAC” is a Swedish invention that we should be proud of, like IKEA or Volvo. Back then, I didn't know much about our product. But then I learned and realized that it's an excellent material. It has been almost 20 years now, most of which I have worked with AAC.

In the medium term, what would you like to achieve at Xella?

Continue to develop the company and the product portfolio for an even more technical and sustainable profile. Another goal, of course, is to help our sales team maintain market share in a though market. We need to penetrate the market and find solutions that meet the sustainability and technical needs of the future.

And personally?

Having fun at work and getting to know more people inside the company but also interact with our customers.

What do you do to have balance in your work life?

To clear my head, I do a lot of physical training, I go to the gym, lift weights, do CrossFit, and running. I also love being in the nature together with my family, preferably combining an outdoor physical activity together. Just recently, we went climbing on a high-altitude course together. Started at a height of 3 meters above the ground but ended up with a 16 meters free fall.

How do you approach safety in your daily work?

I always use proper safety equipment when visiting construction sites. But we should also consider that a lot of the time at work you sit in front of a screen, safety at work can then mean that you sit in a correct position and not like a sack of potatoes. Maybe treat yourself by doing a few burpees in between meetings ;-)