Hans Werthén
 Hans Werthén      (businessman) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 15 June 1919 Ludvika, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | January 2000 (Age 80) Hedvig Eleonora församling, Stockholm, Sweden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Swedish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | KTH Royal Institute of Technology | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of | Wallenberg Sphere | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Swedish business executive who attended Bilderberg/1983 and Bilderberg/1984 as Chairman of Electrolux and Ericsson. Wallenberg sphere.
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Hans Lennart Oskar Werthén was a Swedish industrialist. Hans Werthén's life's work was Electrolux, which under his leadership developed into a world-leading company in the white goods sector. The company's strategy was rapid expansion through acquisitions, and in the 20 years since he took over as CEO, more than 200 companies were acquired[1]. He also was Chairman of Ericsson, also controlled by the Wallenberg family, during the 1980s[2], when he attended 2 Bilderberg meetings, the 1983 Bilderberg meeting and the 1984 Bilderberg meeting.
Background
He was the son of Oscar and Mabel Werthén.
Hans Werthén obtained a master's degree in electrical engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in 1942 and a licentiate in technology at the same university in 1946.[3]
Career
Hans Werthén then stood for a ten-year period at the head of the development of television technology in Sweden. As head of AGA's television laboratory, he designed, among other things, the country's first color television transmitter. At this stage, Hans Werthén also participated as a teacher and development leader in the subject of television technology, at Chalmers.
During the following ten-year period, Hans Werthén was deputy managing director and production technical manager, first at NEFA in Norrköping and then at Telefon AB LM Ericsson. His unusual ability to identify and innovatively solve essential and technically demanding production problems was well known.
When Electrolux chairman Ragnar Söderberg in the autumn of 1966 requested a talk with him, Hans Werthén believed that they were to discuss a merger of Asea's and Ericsson's cable operations. Instead, he was offered the position of president of Electrolux. The initiative for this offer had been taken by Marcus Wallenberg.[2]
He was CEO of the Electrolux Group 1967–1974 and chairman of the board 1974–1991. Under his leadership, the company's turnover increased more than 80 times and took the top spot among Swedish industrial companies when it came to the number of employees. Werthén came to develop the so-called "Lux culture". It was characterized by business acumen, market orientation, decision-making speed and an extremely small bureaucracy.[2]
Hans Werthén's thorough experience in advanced product development, production technology development and international business concept development combined with a rare ability to see and concretize new, fruitful combinations of technology and business make him one of Sweden's foremost industry leading engineers.
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1983 | 13 May 1983 | 15 May 1983 | Canada Quebec Château Montebello | The 31st Bilderberg, held in Canada |
| Bilderberg/1984 | 11 May 1984 | 13 May 1984 | Sweden Saltsjöbaden | The 32nd Bilderberg, held in Sweden |
References
- ↑ http://www.svd.se/naringsliv/han-byggde-upp-electrolux_1656539.svd
- ↑ a b c https://www.ericsson.com/en/about-us/history/people/industrial-leaders/hans-werthen--a-verbal-and-sympathetic-strategist
- ↑ https://archive.is/20130418032653/http://www.chalmers.se/sections/om_chalmers/akademiska_hogtidlig/promotion/hedersdoktorer/hans-werthen
