Kersti Strandqvist and Sven Hindrikes Proposed for Swedish Match Board of Directors


STOCKHOLM, Sweden, March 17, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- At the upcoming Annual General Meeting the Nominating Committee of Swedish Match AB will propose the election of Kersti Strandqvist and Sven Hindrikes to the Board of Directors. Furthermore, the Nominating Committee will propose re-election of Bernt Magnusson (Chairman), Jan Blomberg, Tuve Johannesson, Arne Jurbrant, Karsten Slotte and Meg Tiveus.

The Nominating Committee is appointed by the Annual General Meeting and comprises Marianne Nilsson (Robur), Chairman, Bjorn Franzon (Fjarde AP-Fonden), Staffan Grefback (Alecta) and Bernt Magnusson. Joachim Spetz (Handelsbanken Fonder) has since December 2004 been co-opted to the committee's meetings.

Kersti Strandqvist, 41, holds the position as Segment Manager for Baby Care at SCA Personal Care in Gothenburg, Sweden. Kersti Strandqvist, Licentiate in Technology from Chalmers Tekniska Hogskola in Gothenburg, also has a Master degree in marketing from Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Jouy-en-Josas, France and humanistic studies at Sorbonne in Paris. She was appointed Segment Manager for Baby Care at SCA in Gothenburg in August 2001. Kersti Strandqvist had been employed by SCA since 1997. Prior to that she had different managerial positions at Elf Atochem in Paris and at Borealis/Neste Chemicals in Sweden as well as in Finland and Belgium.

Sven Hindrikes holds the position as President and CEO of Swedish Match AB since 2004. Sven Hindrikes joined Swedish Match as CFO in 1998. Prior to that he was CFO and later Executive Vice President at Linjebuss as well as holding a number of positions within ABB in Canada and Mexico. Sven Hindrikes has a Master of Business Administration from Stockholm School of Economics.

Swedish Match is a unique company with its range of market-leading brands in the product areas of snuff and chewing tobacco, cigars and pipe tobacco -- tobacco's niche products -- as well as matches and lighters. The Group's global operations generated sales of 13,007MSEK for the twelve month period ending December 31, 2004. Swedish Match shares are listed on Stockholmsborsen (SWMA).

Swedish Match AB (publ), SE-118 85 Stockholm

Visiting address: Rosenlundsgatan 36,

Telephone: + 46 8 658 02 00

Corporate Identity Number: 556015-0756

www.swedishmatch.com

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