Södra’s Annual General Meeting agreed to distribute SEK 553 million to members and to elect Lena Ek as the Board’s new Chairman. Hans Berggren was elected new Board member.

Approximately 300 people, including 200 delegates, attended Södra’s Annual General Meeting in Växjö Concert House on 19 May. The Meeting resolved to distribute profits of SEK 553 million, comprising dividends of 6 percent on contributed capital (SEK 170 million) and 8 percent on wood deliveries (SEK 324 million), and a bonus issue of 5 percent on paid-up contributed capital as of 31 December 2014 (SEK 60 million). A decision to issue a dividend of 7.7 percent on subordinated debentures, series D, totalling SEK 10 million, was also adopted.

“Södra performed extremely well in 2014, which will also benefit members in the form of a solid dividend totalling SEK 553 million. It is important that our owners feel we have a long-term approach to dividends, and that they receive a return on both their risk capital and their wood deliveries. The profit distribution contributes to the profitability of active forest management and active participation in Södra,” says Christer Segerstéen, who will now step down from his role as Chairman of Södra.

Lena Ek was elected new Chairman and Hans Berggren as new Board member. In addition to Christer Segerstéen, Anders Grennborg and Caroline Sundewall also stepped down from the Board.

Lena Ek was born in 1958, holds a Bachelor of Law with a specialisation in international law and lives in Valdemarsvik, where she also owns forest.  She has worked politically at municipal, county, national and EU levels, and serves on the Board of the Swedish Centre Party as well as the Party’s Executive Committee. She was Minister for the Environment from 2011-2014 under the Swedish Alliance government and since the election in 2014, has been a Member of the Riksdag and Deputy Chair of the Committee on Environment and Agriculture. She served on Södra’s Board from 2000-2010.

Hans Berggren was born in 1956, is an agronomist and lives north of Karlshamn where he also owns forest.  Since 2010, he has served as President of the co-operative association Sveriges Stärkelseproducenter and its subsidiaries Lyckeby Culinar AB, Lyckeby Starch AB and Kockens AB.

The Meeting addressed a total of 17 motions concerning such issues as profit-distribution policies, the development of broader financial advisory services for members and the effects of climate change on forestry.

For more information, please contact:

Lars Idermark, President and CEO, tel: +46 470-894 35
Magnus Berg, Director of Members, Södra, tel: +46 (0)70-52 894 83
Annica Gerentz, Director of Communications, Södra, tel: +46 (0)70-398 42 09