SCA elevates Obbola mill manager Gustaf Nygren to lead global containerboard and pulp division

Operational expertise takes the helm at SCA

Swedish forestry and paper group SCA has appointed Gustaf Nygren as the new Head of its Containerboard and Pulp business area. Effective December 1, 2026, Nygren will also join the company's Executive Management Team. The move fills a critical leadership vacancy that had been managed on an interim basis by CEO Ulf Larsson since the departure of Petteri Kalela in January 2026.

Nygren transitions to the corporate leadership level directly from the factory floor, currently serving as the Mill Manager at SCA's Obbola kraftliner facility. His background is deeply rooted in industrial operations, having previously held the position of Maintenance Manager within SCA and coordinated activities across the group's broader paper and pulp production network. He holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Luleå University of Technology.

Aligning production with a unified sales strategy

The appointment comes at a strategic juncture for the Swedish Tier 1 producer. In May 2026, SCA restructured its commercial approach by establishing an integrated market and sales organization for both Pulp and Containerboard. By placing an operations veteran like Nygren at the head of the entire business area, SCA is signaling a clear mandate to tighten the alignment between mill output and market demands.

CEO Ulf Larsson emphasized this operational focus, noting that the company sees substantial opportunities to further optimize both production and sales within the division. Nygren's recent tenure at Obbola provides him with highly relevant experience for this optimization mandate. At Obbola, he oversaw the complex ramp-up phase of a major kraftliner machine investment, which introduced advanced shoe presses to improve surface smoothness and implemented a biofuel-fired furnace that cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 20,000 tonnes annually while reducing energy consumption by up to 40 kWh per tonne.

Management domino effect across Swedish mills

Nygren's promotion triggers a necessary reshuffle in SCA's mill management. To fill the vacancy at the Obbola kraftliner mill, SCA is transferring Per Strand, the current Mill Manager at the Östrand pulp mill. Strand will assume his new responsibilities at Obbola concurrently on December 1, 2026.

Consequently, the company has initiated a recruitment process to find a new manager for the Östrand facility. Ensuring stable leadership at Östrand remains a priority for SCA, as the mill's production stability is foundational to the group's overall pulp output targets and the broader success of the newly integrated Containerboard and Pulp business area.