At the turn of 2025 and 2026, the family-owned Polykemi Group finalized its long-prepared generational succession. The founder's sons, Ola Hugoson and Lars Hugosson, handed over the management of the company to the third generation of the family. The process, publicly announced on 25 April 2025, was preceded by seven years of preparations covering both ownership and organizational aspects. The owners aimed to conduct the transition in a way that would be as smooth as possible for the operation of the company and its global structures.
Long-term preparations for succession
Over the past seven years, the owning family of Polykemi Group has devoted significant time to preparing for the upcoming generational change. The work focused on ensuring that the succession process would be as efficient as possible and would not disrupt the group's ongoing activities.
The announcement of the generational shift on 25 April 2025 was an important milestone for the entire family. From that point on, activities focused on preparatory meetings, mapping daily duties and processes, and refining details regarding the division of responsibilities within the management team at the headquarters in Ystad. As a result, a new management model was developed, in which key roles are held by the third generation of the founding family.
New management structure after 30 years
The outcome of this work is a change in the management structure of Polykemi Group after nearly three decades of continuous leadership by Ola Hugoson. The management roles are now distributed among three people: Oscar Hugoson has taken on the role of CEO Global, Herman Hugosson has become CEO Sweden, and Gustav Hugoson serves as deputy CEO. Together they form a three-person team managing the entire group.
The new management team is supported by other family members active within the organization. Johan Hugoson continues in his position as CEO North America, responsible for the group's operations in the North American market. Vendela Hugosson has chosen to remain in her current role in the Procurement department, supporting the functioning of the supply chain.
After almost 30 years as managing director of Polykemi Group, Ola Hugoson has passed on his leadership to his successors, following the example of his father, company founder Hugo Jönsson. Ola remains with the organization as a senior advisor, providing the third generation and the entire group with his more than 40 years of experience. Lars Hugosson also remains active as a senior advisor, continuing his current work as an important link between various departments of the company and supporting them with his operational knowledge.
Direction: continuity and development
The completion of the formal generational succession does not mean the end of the work related to the group's further development. The third generation is committed to continuing the existing direction of Polykemi Group's growth, building on the foundation created by Ola Hugoson and Lars Hugosson. The new management is to assume responsibility for the company with an emphasis on trust, transparency and jointly defined objectives.
Polykemi Group continues its expansion based on a global team of experienced managers, teamwork and clear internal communication. According to the company, this organizational approach is delivering measurable results. The third generation intends to maintain this model, using the existing organizational potential to continue developing the group in the coming years.
