STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb. 6, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- At the forthcoming Annual General Meeting the Nominating Committee in Swedish Match AB (Nasdaq:SWMAY) will propose Tuve Johannesson, 59 and Arne Jurbrant, 59 as new members of the Board of Directors. Bernt Magnusson (Chairman), Jan Blomberg, Lennart Sunden (CEO), Meg Tiveus and Klaus Unger will be proposed for re-election. Anders Lannebo and Arne Bennborn have declined re-election.
Tuve Johannesson has been working internationally for the Tetrapak Group during many years in subsidiaries in South Africa and Australia, within the Group Management Team, and as one of the Board of Directors. He has held the position as CEO in VME, now VCE (Volvo Constructing Equipment), world leader in construction machinery. Also, he was President of Volvo Car Corp. during five years, from 1995. Today Tuve Johannesson is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of EcoLean AB and Gorthon Lines AB, as well as a member of the Board of Directors in SEB, IFS and Cardo.
Arne Jurbrant has had a long and successful career in the Philip Morris subsidiary Kraft Foods (owner of Freia Marabou and Gevalia among others). Since 1980 he has been President of Kraft Foods subsidiaries in Sweden, Denmark and Norway. He was President of Kraft Foods Norden from 1993-2001.
"Tuve Johannesson has a solid experience and knowledge of international business, also from developing countries, and Arne Jurbrant will contribute with valuable knowledge concerning fast moving consumer goods", says Bernt Magnusson, Chairman of the Nominating Committee. Both Jurbrant and Johannesson have experience of building and maintaining strong brands and have demonstrated strategic insight in processes related to acquisitions, mergers and alliances. "These are characteristics that the Committee has taken into consideration in this proposal to the AGM", says Magnusson.
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