Vattenfall - Brief biography

Brief biography Lars G Josefsson

Lars G Josefsson became President and CEO of Vattenfall in August 2000. Since his appointment, Vattenfall has established itself as a dynamic northern European energy group, with a strong presence in Germany and Poland as well as in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. Before joining Vattenfall, Josefsson worked for Ericsson in a number of executive capacities, including a four-year period in charge of operations in Austria. From 1997 he was President and CEO of Celsius, which he led until 2000 when Celsius became part of the Saab Group. Josefsson was born on 29 October, 1950 in Ulricehamn, Sweden. He graduated in 1973 with a degree in technical physics from Chalmers Institute of Technology. After his National Service in the Signal Corps, he began a professional career in 1974 as a systems engineer at the Defence Electronics Division of what was then LM Ericsson. Here, after a number of executive posts, he was appointed President of Chemtronics in 1984. At Ericsson Radio Systems, he became head of the Radar Section in 1985. In 1987 he took over as Vice President and head of the Surface Sensor Division. He attended several courses at the Ericsson Management Institute, and his executive training also includes a Program for Executive Development at IMD (International Institute for Management Development) in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1986. His background, combined with his excellent knowledge of German, facilitated his appointment as President of Schrack Telecom AG in Vienna, Austria. The company was later renamed Ericsson Schrack AG (in 1994) and Ericsson Austria (in 1996). In 1997, Josefsson was recruited as President of Celsius AB, in which the Swedish State then held a 25 per cent stake. With the defence market shrinking, a certain amount of restructuring took place, including the merger of the submarine and surface ship operations with the German HDW, the merger of Bofors artillery operations with American United Defence, and the formation of a Nordic ammunition and explosives unit. Finally, the Celsius Group was acquired by the Saab Group, after which Josefsson became President of Vattenfall AB. In addition to his duties as CEO of Vattenfall, he is a member of the supervisory board of Eskom Holdings Ltd of Johannesburg, South Africa, and of the World Childhood Foundation. As of April 2004, Josefsson is elected President of the German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce. As of June 2008, he is elected President of Eurelectric. In December 2006, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel named him as one of her government advisors on international climate protection issues during the German EU presidency. As of April 2007, Josefsson is a member of the commission for sustainable development in the Swedish government. He is the holder of several patents in the field of radar technology, and has been a member of the Royal Swedish Military Academy since 1988 and the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences since 1998. Lars G Josefsson is married and has four children. His leisure interests are tennis, skiing and hunting.