About Ulrika Kolsrud
Ulrika Kolsrud, President and CEO of Essity, reported the company’s second quarter 2026 results, highlighting positive organic sales growth driven by volume increases in three of four business units: health and medical, personal care, and professional hygiene. She noted that consumer tissue experienced lower sales. Kolsrud stated that profitability margins remained healthy but were slightly negatively impacted by geopolitical factors causing increased cost inflation. She said the company has implemented some price increases and agreed on others that will appear in the third quarter, adding that compensating for cost increases is a top priority and that Essity has a strong track record of doing so over time.
Kolsrud discussed several strategic initiatives, including a reorganization into four business areas with end-to-end accountability, a cost-saving program, and a sharpened innovation agenda. She also mentioned an acquisition in feminine care in North America and a strategic review of the consumer tissue business. Regarding the review, Kolsrud said the company is examining all options—divestiture, separation, or retention—and that the goal is to create the best conditions for both the consumer tissue business and the rest of Essity to develop to their full potential and maximize value creation. She cited the UK’s NHS introducing value-based procurement guidance for medical technology as a positive development for Essity’s holistic solutions.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Ulrika Kolsrud's recent appearances.
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Transcript (23 segments)
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Interviewer0:06
How happy are you to receive this award?
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Ulrika Kolsrud0:09
I am very happy and honored by this fine award.
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Interviewer0:13
How do you view the need for this award?
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Ulrika Kolsrud0:17
Personally, I've never faced barriers or obstacles related to being a woman. That's because I have the privilege of working at Essity, where gender equality is a natural part of our strategy and our culture. But I understand that's not the case for everyone, and the statistics speak for themselves when you look at how few public company CEOs there are in Sweden who are women. So that shows we still need to work actively to improve the statistics.
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Interviewer0:50
You've been at Essity for 30 years. Basically from the start, since you were freshly graduated.
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Ulrika Kolsrud0:55
Yes, essentially.
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Interviewer0:56
What has it meant to you to work within one organization for this long?
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Ulrika Kolsrud0:59
I've had the opportunity to work across the entire value chain, in all areas from innovation, research and development to production, and also in sales and marketing. I have also worked with many of our different categories, so I have a very broad background within the company and know the different operations and industries we operate in.
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Interviewer1:24
Now you've been CEO for just over four months. How is life as a public company CEO?
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Ulrika Kolsrud1:30
It's intense and very exciting. I see significant potential in Essity and am now working at full speed with our fantastic, committed employees to accelerate our profitable growth.
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Interviewer1:43
What have you spent the most time on?
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Ulrika Kolsrud1:45
I spend time on two things. One is to lead the organization with clarity and pace from day one. The other is to define what it takes for us to be able to accelerate our progress toward our vision and strategy. So I've taken in external and internal perspectives and enriched my own thinking about what we need to change and develop and prioritize going forward.
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Interviewer2:16
Essity has 36,000 employees. How do you become a well-regarded leader in such a large company?
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Ulrika Kolsrud2:23
I'm very results-oriented, and I'm convinced we achieve sustainable results by harnessing the full power of the whole organization of 36,000 employees. So I place great emphasis on creating engagement and motivation in the inclusion; delegating responsibility clearly and showing strong trust linked to high expectations, and offering the support needed to help people succeed.
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Interviewer2:52
How do you motivate your employees?
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Ulrika Kolsrud2:55
Partly, it's that we have a very clear purpose and a clear strategy and goals, talking about them, and also clarifying and showing how each employee actually contributes to delivering on those goals and moving us toward that vision. Key. And then build understanding for the decisions we make and why we make them and what they mean in practice. And also to work on psychological safety in the organization, so all feel included and want to contribute their full capacity and experience, and share ideas and views.
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Interviewer3:36
You completed the Ruter Dam program in 2011. What did that mean for you?
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Ulrika Kolsrud3:41
I've gained a fantastic network through the Ruter Dam program. That network has been important for gaining inspiration and other views and support on various issues. We built strong relationships, so even today I wouldn't hesitate to call to talk with any of my Ruter Dam friends and discuss an issue. It has been important.
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Interviewer4:06
Essity has struggled with profitability. How will you lift it?
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Ulrika Kolsrud4:11
I don't feel we've had major challenges with profitability. We have healthy profitability and are moving toward our goal of 15 percent. We will keep working on that, and we primarily do it by focusing on growth. By focusing on growth in the right areas, we improve the mix and thus profitability. By focusing on growth, we create economies of scale that will also affect profitability. We constantly work to improve efficiency and find cost savings, so that we are as cost-efficient as possible.
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Interviewer4:51
Your share price is almost at the same level as when you were spun off from SCA just over eight years ago. Do you see it as an important task to raise it?
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Ulrika Kolsrud5:00
My job is to drive the business toward the financial targets we have, and that's what I focus on. Then, as we move toward our financial targets, I think the market will appreciate that.
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Interviewer5:15
Thank you so much, and congratulations!
