Essity, which was previously a part of SCA, is a leading global hygiene and health company that develops, produces and sells personal care products and tissue. Anna Sävinger Åslund, SVP HR, thinks the name identifies the core of the business. 

What does Essity stand for?  

“It is a merger of the words essentials and necessities, which describe our hygiene products. For example, take Libero diapers, Libresse feminine care products and TENA incontinence products. They are all products that offer everyday necessities at different stages of life. Some time ago, we acquired the medical technology company BSN medical, which will enable us also to build a strong position in the field of health. Our ambition is to contribute to improve the well-being of people all over the world. In addition to developing products to raise people’s quality of life, we also educate children about hand hygiene, young women about menstruation, and nurses and care providers about incontinence care.”

“Our heart beats both for people and nature.”

Anything else that distinguishes Essity? 

“We are proud of our company culture, which is characterized by teamwork and by enthusiastic and dedicated employees. Our heart beats for both people and nature, which is the source of our strong drive to innovate and ambitious sustainability agenda.”

What competences will you need moving forward? 

“We need to recruit everything from marketing and sales personnel to engineers and economists, ideally with digital expertise. A digital transformation is taking place at Essity, which is influencing all parts of the company. Our marketing and sales are increasingly conducted via digital media and there is also a considerable focus on digital solutions in the field of innovation. Examples of this include our connected products, such as paper dispensers and incontinence products with sensors.”

What kind of development prospects are there? 

“There are no fixed career paths at Essity, but a broad palette of roles and areas of business. You drive your own career forward and have substantial opportunities to develop. With us, you can move vertically and laterally, or you can move abroad to our production and sales markets. The aim is that everyone should achieve their full potential and have fun doing this. We have just launched an internal career compass, which further clarifies the roles available within the company and what is required for each role, something that will facilitate career planning for our employees.”

Name: Anna Sävinger Åslund

Title: SVP HR.

Education: Human resource management and work sciences program, Linköping University, graduating in 1996.

Favorite innovation: “All of the fantastic apps that make life easier.”

Journalist: Jacqueline Fahlander

*reprinted from article in Shortcut