From SAS to SKF
Rickard Gustafson joins SKF Group
Rickard Gustafson is to become the new President and CEO of the SKF Group. He succeeds Alrik Danielson.
The Board of Directors of the Schweinfurt-based rolling bearing specialist SKF appoints Rickard Gustafson as CEO and President of the SKF Group. Gustafson will take up his new position in the first half of the year. "I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to join SKF, a highly respected company in the industry," says Gustafson.
The 56-year-old is currently President and CEO of the Swedish airline SAS Group, where he has worked for ten years. Prior to that, he was CEO of the insurance company Codan / Trygg Hansa and held various positions at General Electric.
Gustafson holds a Master of Science degree with a focus on industrial economics from the Institute of Technology at Linköping University in Sweden. "SKF has a clearly defined strategic direction," says the future CEO. "I look forward to working with you and want to further accelerate the ongoing transformation into an even more customer-oriented, innovative, efficient and sustainable business."
Hans Stråberg, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SKF Group, on the leadership change: "The Board of Directors thanks Alrik Danielson for his important contributions to the development of SKF during his time as President and CEO. After a thorough search, we are now very pleased to have received the commitment of Rickard Gustafson. His strong and modern leadership, his vast international experience and his enthusiasm for the company make him the right man to lead the further implementation of our strategy and take SKF to the next level of profitable growth and development."
You might also be interested in
Change in management
As of July 1, 2021, Thomas Wagner will take over as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ebm-papst. The current incumbent Stefan Brandl is leaving the company at his own request.
read more...International Federation of Robotics
U.S. Robotics Industry Sees Double-Digit Growth
In the U.S., sales of industrial robots rose by 11% compared to the previous year: 38,000 units were newly installed in 2025. This significant recovery is driven by robust growth in the food industry and other non-manufacturing sectors. However, the...
read more...Hans Seifert to Become Chief Sales Officer
Sigmatek has appointed Hans Seifert as Chief Sales Officer (CSO). His area of responsibility includes international sales, marketing, application engineering, and support.
read more...International Federation of Robotics
The 2026 IERA Award was presented
The 2026 “Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation” (IERA) goes to the Swiss deep-tech company Verity for its fully autonomous indoor drone system. The flying robots support the logistics and retail sectors by...
read more...Increased revenue and expanded production capacity
The Fraba Group, a manufacturer of sensors for industrial motion control, looks back on a successful 2025, during which both revenue and the number of employees increased.
read more...Rosenberger joins the EBO MSA initiative
Rosenberger has joined the newly formed Expanded Beam Optical Multi-Source Agreement (EBO MSA). This industry initiative is developing open and interoperable standards for optical connectivity in next-generation AI data centers.
read more...Benoît Thooris takes over as president
Benoît Thooris is taking over as head of UniversalAutomation.Org. The organization is also adding two new members to its Board of Directors.
read more...Triton Partners takes over Flender
Global investment firm Carlyle has signed an agreement to sell Flender, a provider of mechanical drive technology, to Triton Fund 6, advised by Triton. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of...
read more...Schaeffler expands its Defense division
Celia Pelaz becomes CEO of STech Defense
Schaeffler is making new appointments to the management of its subsidiary STech Defence GmbH. Celia Pelaz will take over the position of CEO "Defence & New Space" on October 1, 2026 and will manage the business of the Munich-based company.
read more...