PION Group (PION B:STO), a Sweden-based staffing provider previously known as Poolia AB, has named Nils Carlsson as the new group CEO.

Carlsson will take up his new role in November 2023, when he will take over the position from interim CEO Mats Kullenberg.

Kullenberg will continue his involvement within the group in the role of Senior Advisor following Carlsson’s appointment in November.

Carlsson is currently president and CEO of Resurs Bank, where he drove the bank's growth with a strong focus on data-driven innovation to improve the customer experience. His experiences span a number of different industries, including leading positions at companies such as Fortnox, Electrolux and Europolitan (now Telenor Sweden). He also worked at Vodafone and has served on a number of boards, including the Pion Group, where his interest in the company's operations was first sparked.

“PION Group represents over 3,600 talents who bring knowledge to all parts of Swedish business life,” Carlsson said. “I am particularly interested in the exciting task of strengthening human competence and development potential by utilising technology and automation. This human-centred growth journey will be the core of my work to further build and strengthen PION Group.”

PION Group said it aims to achieve an annual growth of at least 20% and an EBITA margin of at least 5% up to and including 2026.

During the past year, PION Group has acquired SaaS solutions such as Whippy, Roi/Workspace Recruit and the consulting company Dreamwork.

Lars Kry, chairman of the board for PION Group said, “I am extremely proud and happy to welcome Nils Carlsson as the new president and CEO of PION Group. The recruitment of Nils with his background in strong growth journeys where he has built several small companies into large giants as well as experience in the stock market, digitization and conversion will be an important part of our new business strategy where we intend to take PION Group's positioning and new offer to the next level in order to future-proof both our own companies and customers' operations with the right skills and digital tools. This is where Nils Carlsson comes in with his extraordinary holistic view and competence.”

“I would like to thank Mats for his successful efforts as acting president and CEO and I look forward to following his work in the role of Senior Advisor,” Kry said. “Mats is a driven entrepreneur who has taken great strides in the development of the group in a short time in accordance with our new strategy.”