Hanna Graflund Sleyman assumes new role in Axel Johnson’s executive management team

Hanna Graflund Sleyman, previously CEO for Kicks Group, among other positions, has been appointed Executive Vice President for Emerging Technology at Axel Johnson, with the task to further strengthen the capabilities and development of emerging technologies within the group and subsidiaries.

Axel Johnson Emerging Technology is a central function with the mission to strengthen the development of technological capabilities, focusing particularly on AI, within the group and subsidiaries. The purpose is to accelerate the new wave in the digital transformation that the group is undergoing, while strengthening business intelligence and building up internal competence and exchange of knowledge as well as partnerships with key external players.

Hanna Graflund Sleyman has been leading Axel Johnson Emerging Technology already over the past year. Previously, among other positions she has served as CEO for Kicks, Commercial Manager for Amazon’s Swedish launch, Executive Director Asia Pacific for Daniel Wellington and CEO for Departments & Stores Europe (NK) as well as management consultant at McKinsey.

Thomas Ekman, CEO of Axel Johnson says:
“Our mission as owners is to help equip our companies for the future. Which is why we want to increase the pace of development of our skills and abilities within emerging technologies such as AI. Ensuring our companies have the right capabilities and ambitious digitalization agendas is a central theme for us as owners. Hanna has a range of qualities that make her the right person to strengthen our efforts. In addition to her strong analytical and strategic qualities, her broad operational experience in technology-intensive retail businesses means she has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities our companies’ top managers are facing.”

Hanna Graflund Sleyman, EVP Emerging Technology, Axel Johnson
“The explosive development within AI affects all our companies and nearly all aspects of their operations. We have already seen many successful initiatives within Axel Johnson’s companies, everything from improving process efficiency and automating administration, to content creation for marketing, sales tools and product design. I am convinced that we as a group have great potential to accelerate our efforts as well as improve our understanding of the surrounding world, increase our internal exchange of knowledge and use our common strengths to build strong external partnerships that add value. Contributing to the long-term competitiveness of a group with Axel Johnson’s breadth is an incredibly fun and challenging task.”