Chairman of the Board:
Profitable growth through customer
co-development and globalization
My first year as Chairman of the Board for AAK has
come to an end and it is a great pleasure for me to see
that we are continuing our path of profitable growth.
Although new to this AAK role, I have followed the
company closely for a long time and I hope that my
experience of profitable organic and acquisitive growth
will be of great value to both AAK and its shareholders.
Corporate governance
For AAK to achieve profitable and sustainable growth
and gain market share within its field are goals that
characterize all discussions and decisions by the
Board and all operations in the organization. But on
our way to these goals, it is just as important that our
decision-making processes and our division of responsibilities
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comply with relevant rules and regulations and
with the company’s business principles. With this report
we aim to illustrate our effective and clear corporate
governance and show that we always work in the best
interests of our shareholders.
Continued investments
During the past year AAK has, in close collaboration
with its customers, continued to develop innovative
and tailor-made vegetable oils solutions. With yet
another year of strong financial performance, continued
investments and strategic agreements in fast-growing
markets, and with the opening of several new customer
innovation centers throughout the world, the company
has manifested its position as a leader within the world
of speciality vegetable oils and fats. With a clear ambition
of further accelerating growth through an increased
focus on mergers and acquisitions, I look upon the
future of AAK with great excitement.
Encouraging CSR work
As sustainable and ethical considerations are critical
for food manufacturers and consumers alike, it is
very encouraging to see AAK’s broad and determined
work within Corporate Social Responsibility. We have
continuous progress within many different areas but
one that has caught my attention in particular is AAK’s
tremendous work in West Africa for a more sustainable
and efficient shea supply chain. What started out as
a project ten years ago is today an integrated and
successful AAK program involving more than 130,000
shea-collecting women in Burkina Faso and Ghana.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to
thank AAK’s very accomplished management team
and dedicated and hard-working employees around the
organization for their contributions during 2018. Your
efforts and achievements have further strengthened
AAK and put the company in a very good position for
years to come.
Georg Brunstam, Chairman of the Board