Top 10: CPOs in the Nordics
The role of Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) has faced a lot of challenges over the past year with a significant amount of geopolitical turbulence.
CPOs ensure efficiency across cost savings and spending throughout a company, staying ahead of trends.
Here at Procurement Magazine, we’re taking a look at CPOs based within the Nordics, celebrating those who are welcoming innovation and making differences across their companies.
10. Claire Prior
Company: Royal Unibrew
Founded: 1989
Employees: ~4,200
Revenue: DKK 15bn (US$2.4bn)
Claire has been the Chief Procurement Officer at Royal Unibrew since 2023, having previously worked at Diageo for 16 years. She has been leading teams since 2009, gaining skills in supply chain operations, negotiation and cost savings.
Claire has a BSc in Management from Queenâs University Belfast. Her roles have seen her working across Ireland, Singapore and now Denmark.
Royal Unibrewâs products are sold in more than 70 countries around the world, with a portfolio including soft drinks, energy drinks, beer and spirits.
9. Fredrik Spovell
Company: Eltel
Founded: 2001
Employees: ~4,500
Revenue: EUR 828.7m (US$967.6m)
Fredrik became the CPO of Eltel in 2025, bringing more than 11 years of procurement leadership experience to the role. Prior to this role, he was Head of Procurement at Sinch.
Through his various roles, he has gained skills in telecommunications, negotiation and building successful teams.
Fredrik has a Master of Science, Industrial Engineering and Management from Linköping University.
Eltel provides critical infrastructure to the Nordics, including services for renewable energy.
8. Kasper Vestergaard Larsen
Company: KK Group
Founded: 1969
Employees: ~3,700
Revenue: DKK 7.7bn (US$1.2bn)
Kasper has been the CPO at KK Group since 2020, bringing extensive sourcing management experience from roles at Vestas and Energinet.
As CPO, Kasper oversees Global Sourcing, a team of more than 80 people who span across India, China, Poland and Denmark with responsibility for all tactical & strategic activities towards KK Group’s suppliers. The Global Sourcing area includes Direct and Indirect Sourcing, Project and Service Sourcing, Sourcing Quality and Sourcing Excellence.
In his role, Kasper supports KK Group’s business and growth by driving sustainable value creation and competitive advantage through strategic partnerships. He is in charge of a yearly purchase spend of EUR 700m (approx US$816m).
7. Marianne Kaas Fürst
Company: LEO Pharma
Founded: 1908
Employees: ~4,200
Revenue: DKK 12.5bn (US$1.9bn)
Marianne has been the Vice President, CPO of LEO Pharma since 2025. Prior to this, she was Principal at INVERTO and Global Head of Strategic Sourcing at A.P. Moller - Maersk.
She has more than 13 years of experience as an operations consulting professional, with experience in cost reduction, driving business development and optimising operating models.
Marianne is passionate about encouraging impactful changes and helping businesses through innovation. She specialises in company transformations, offering effective operational solutions.
6. Gustav Svensson
Company: Getinge
Founded: 1904
Employees: 10,000+
Revenue: 34.8bn SEK (US$3.6bn)
Gustav has worked at Getinge for more than 14 years, building his experience in supply chain and procurement management.
In 2025, he gained the position of Corporate Chief Procurement Officer. Prior to Getinge, Gustav worked at Beiersdorf for more than six years.
Getinge is a medical equipment manufacturing company in Gothenburg, Sweden. The company has operations covering more than 40 countries, offering solutions and products for intensive care, operating rooms and life sciences.
5. Jan Esbech
Company: Ramboll
Founded: 1945
Employees: 18,000+
Revenue: DKK 17.6bn (US$2.8bn)
Jan has 25 years of international experience, having led global teams. He has been Chief Procurement Officer at Ramboll since 2022.
In this role, he aims to foster a competitive cost framework for indirect and direct spending. Under his leadership, the procurement team has grown 4x in 2.5 years.
Jan implements and oversees sourcing and procurement strategies, policies and technological advancements within the company. He has overseen the digital transformation of the company, including the implementation of a supplier onboarding platform.
4. Mette OttĂžy
Company: Equinor
Founded: 1972
Employees: ~20,000
Revenue: US$103.8bn
Mette has been the Chief Procurement Officer at Equinor since 2021, having worked there since 2018. Prior to this, she worked at Statoil for more than 14 years, gaining operations and managerial experience throughout this time.
She has worked in Tanzania and Norway, leading a range of teams. Mette has a Masters in Chemistry and Biotechnology, as well as a PhD in Chemistry.
Equinor is an international energy company which develops oil, gas, wind and solar energy to more than 30 countries around the world.
3. Annika Lööv
Company: KPMG
Founded: 1987
Employees: 275,000
Revenue: US$38.4bn
Annika joined KPMG in 2022 as Chief Procurement Officer & Head of Sites. She has held multiple sourcing leadership positions, particularly within Ericsson Global Sourcing. Her past experience has allowed her to spend time in Egypt, the Netherlands and UAE.
KPMG is a global accounting company which operates in 143 countries and territories. Annikaâs experience spans the hotel industry and telecoms, providing her with significant sales and relationships experience. She specialises in negotiations, problem solving and operational efficiency.
2. Henrik Liljeblad
Company: Swedbank
Founded: 1820
Employees: ~16,500
Revenue: 74bn SEK (US$7.7bn)
Henrik has a M.Sc in Industrial Engineering and Business Management from Linköping University. He has worked at Swedbank for more than 9 years, where he joined as Chief Procurement Officer.
In this role, he has established a standardised way of working with category optimisation, sourcing risk management and outsourcing projects. Henrik leads a team of approximately 50 people based across Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
For more than 20 years, he has worked to build up organisations and make them more efficient. From identifying improvement areas to tracking visible improvements, Henrik has overseen each step.
Since 2016, Henrik has also been Chairman of the Board at Swedbank Support OÜ, which offers IT resources to the companies of the Swedbank Group.
1. Michael Hansén
Company: SEB
Founded: 1856
Employees: ~17,500
Revenue: SEK 81.9bn (US$8.6bn)
Michael has been Chief Procurement Officer of SEB since 2021, where he leads all group procurement and sourcing activities for the bank. SEB has employees around the world, so he manages sourcing strategy and sourcing management across global operations.
Throughout his career, he has worked around the world, including Moscow, Singapore and Malaysia. He is now based in Stockholm.
He has experience in Telecom and Banking industries, so he is well experienced with sales and customer experience.
He welcomes technological advancements to improve efficiency and effectiveness within procurement and operational transformation.
Prior to joining SEB, Michael was Head of Procurement at Maxis, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In this role, he led a team of 40 category managers and buyers, ensuring the company met cost and growth objectives.
Michael has an LLM in Law from Uppsala University.
