The annual General Assembly Meeting was held at Essity's office in Lisbon. CLS members were brought together to review the previous record-breaking year, and looking ahead for what 2025 will bring for the Swedish-Portuguese business community.
Carl-Magnus Stensson, Vice President Project Management Global Operational Services at Essity, welcomed our members to the beautiful office of Essity. Carl-Magnus shared Essity's history and mission, their global operations and locally in Portugal, and future goals and ambitions. Following the Essity presentation, H.E Ambassador Elisabeth Eklund thanked CLS for its strong collaboration throughout the year and highlighted future Sweden-Portugal ambitions.
At the second call, the President of the General Assembly, Susanne Hägglund, opened the General Assembly Meeting and greeted all participants welcome.
The General Assembly Meeting then continued with a presentation made by the Chairwoman & President of the CLS Board of Directors, Jennifer Ekström who shared the CLS Annual Report of 2024. A year that reached hightened levels and achievements for the CLS. New initiatives, strategic partnerships, and new members were all part of recent progress.
Furthermore, Carlos Oliveira, Treasurer of the CLS, presented the financial statement of 2024, along with the budget for 2025. 2024 was a great step forward, the year saw the best financial performance in over a decade for the chamber.
After concluding the presentation and remarks about the past year and what's ahead, votings took place to approve the following topics:
We had the opportunity to speak with Pedro Gonçalves from Ericsson, the newest member of the CLS Board of Directors. His perspective on Ericsson’s collaboration with CLS is that it's invaluable, as it helps broaden their outlook and provides an opportunity to learn from new and diverse fields. Additionally, Pedro sees this as a way to stay connected with Team Sweden in Portugal and ensure that Ericsson’s rich history remains a key point of focus.
Given Ericsson’s role in telecommunications, staying ahead of future trends and continuously evolving is essential. By being part of CLS, Ericsson is actively engaging in development and transformation, ensuring that it remains at the leading edge of future progress.
Susanne Hägglund, who has been President of the CLS General Assembly board for three years, moves on in her career, relocating to Sweden to be Head of Global Offers at Volvo Cars. We thank Susanne for all her work and dedication throughout her time with CLS, and wish her all the best for her new exciting endeavor with Volvo Cars.
With this change, Carl-Magnus Stensson, Vice President Project Management Global Operational Services at Essity, will take place as President of the General Assembly board. Further strenghtening the great partnership between the CLS and Essity.
Frederico Paiva, the new country president of Securitas Portugal, steps in as Vice-President of the General Assembly board. With vast managerial experience from various global companies, it will be exciting to see the development of Securitas in Portugal with Frederico.
It is with great pleasure that the CLS continues to strengthen our longstanding and appreciated relstionship with Securitas Portugal.
To the CLS Fiscal Committe, we welcome Rui Martins - Finance Director at Diaverum Portugal.
As Björn Castegren steps down from the position as President of the Fiscal Committe, Célia Horta takes over.
The CLS is very grateful for all the contributions from Björn, and send our sincerest regards and luck for the future. Célia Horta's continuation is a further testimony of the cherished collaboration between the CLS and Atlas Copco Portugal.
Upon closing the meeting, Susanne received gratitude from the board for her dedication to the CLS, along with their best wishes. After the meeting concluded, office participants stayed for a well-appreciated breakfast, enjoying Essity’s beautiful office and its view.
On behalf of the CLS organization, social bodies and board members, we thank all of you who participated in this years General Assembly meeting, as well as to the whole CLS community for your continuous dedication and support in fostering business relations between Sweden and Portugal.
