Get to know who is in AAK’s Executive Committee. What are the members’ current positions and qualifications? When did they start to work at AAK? How many holdings in AAK do they have?
Ensuring the right decisions
Johan Westman
President and CEO
Employed: 2018
Born: 1973
Nationality: Swedish
Other significant positions: Board member Absolent Group AB (publ.)
Experience: Senior Vice President Europe and Managing Director of the BlankLight division at Shiloh Industries, Inc., President and CEO of FinnvedenBulten AB (publ.), President of Finnveden Metal Structures AB, and management consulting with Arthur D. Little.
Qualifications: MSc. Industrial Engineering and Management
Holdings: 36,000 shares and 50,000 stock options*
Tomas Bergendahl
Chief Financial Officer. Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 2021
Born: 1974
Nationality: Swedish
Qualifications: MSc. Business Administration
Holdings: 10,000 stock options*
Jan Lenferink
President AAK Europe. Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 2015
Born: 1963
Nationality: Dutch
Qualifications: Food Technology
Holdings: None
David Smith
President Global Operations. Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 2001
Born: 1960
Nationality: British
Qualifications: MBA, Graduate Diploma in Business Management
Holdings: 40,000 stock options*
Sten Estrup
President AAK Asia. Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 2020
Born: 1968
Nationality: Danish
Qualifications: MBA, MSc. Dairy Science & Technology, Executive Master in Change, Diploma in HRM
Holdings: None
Octavio Díaz de León
President AAK USA and North Latin America. Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 2007
Born: 1967
Nationality: Mexican
Qualifications: MBA, BSc. Mechanical & Electrical Engineering
Holdings: 240,000 shares and 15,000 stock options*
Gerardo Garza Lopez de Heredia
President AAK South Latin America. Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 2014
Born: 1961
Nationality: Mexican
Qualifications: Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, Food Engineering
Holdings: 18,000 stock options*
Karsten Nielsen
CTO (Chief Technology Officer). Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 1988
Born: 1963
Nationality: Danish
Qualifications: Graduate Diploma in Food Technology
Holdings: 18,000 shares and 33,000 stock options*
Anne Mette Olesen
Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer. Head of People and Corporate Branding. Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 2010
Born: 1964
Nationality: Danish
Qualifications: MBA, BSc. Chemical Engineering
Holdings: 120,000 shares
Tim Stephenson
President Global Sourcing & Trading. Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 1995
Born: 1961
Nationality: British
Qualifications: MA (Oxon) in Mathematics, FCA
Holdings: 5,000 stock options*
René Schou
President Global Industries. Vice President AAK AB
Employed: 2011
Born: 1969
Nationality: Danish
Qualifications: MBA, and Food Technologist
Holdings: None
*Holdings as of May 31, 2021. Each stock option entitles the option holder to buy 6 shares.
