Birgitta Sundblad has been appointed the new President of Innventia AB, a research and innovation company. She will take up her position on 1 July 2011, when the current President, Professor Gunnar Svedberg, is retiring.

At present, Birgitta Sundblad is the Global Director of AFH (Away from Home) Tissue Product Development and Innovation at SCA, where she has had various appointments for a little more than 12 years. Throughout her career, Birgitta has worked with research and development, in which she has had several leading positions in the chemical and forest industries.

“Birgitta Sundblad’s experience in research and development work, with its emphasis on the customer and consumer, will strengthen the development of Innventia in being a world-leading innovation partner,” states Director Mats Nordlander, Chairman of the Innventia Board.

Birgitta Sundblad comments, “I feel both proud and honoured to be given this challenge. I believe that my experience as manager of interdisciplinary teams will be a very good foundation for building a strong, well structured company, together with everyone at Innventia, not only to meet the challenges of today but also of the future.”

Birgitta, 53 years old and a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering since 1981, has divided her professional life between SCA and Eka Chemicals (Akzo Nobel). During these years, she has mainly worked with research and development matters, but she has also worked in the fields of production, sales and marketing. She was on the Board of EIRMA (European Industrial Research Management Association) from 2007 to 2010 and was consequently the first woman to be a Vice Chairperson of the EIRMA Board.