Anitra Steen elected as new chair of the board

Anitra Steen is replacing Eva-Britt Gustafsson, who is stepping down from her post after nine years as chair of the Board of Directors for Akademiska Hus. Anitra Steen, who was born in 1949, has previously served as under-secretary at the Ministry of Finance, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Director General of the National Agency for Higher Education Services and the National Tax Board and CEO of Systembolaget AB. Anitra Steen serves on a number of other boards, including AFA Försäkring and PostNord. She has also served as chair of the Board of Directors of Stockholm University for six years. 

“Akademiska Hus creates value in a variety of dimensions, especially by contributing to strengthening the fundamentals for higher education and research in Sweden. I look forward to working with the company’s employees and customers to continue to take full responsibility in the development of sustainable and attractive campuses – not just for individual buildings, but also for the environment in which they are built,” says Anitra Steen. 

The Annual General Meeting approved the dividend to the owner in the amount of SEK 1,290 million, which is somewhat lower than the previous year (SEK 1,445 million). The dividend is based on the financial objectives that the state set for Akademiska Hus. The ordinary dividend should amount to between 40 and 60 per cent of the profit for the year after tax and after reversal of changes in fair value and related deferred tax. When deciding on a dividend, consideration should be given to the Group’s capital structure and capital requirements. 

In addition to the usual mandatory AGM resolutions relating to adoption of the income statement, balance sheet, distribution of profits and discharge of liability for the directors and the CEO, the Annual General Meeting resolved as follows: 

• Leif Ljungqvist resigned from his directorship and also as the owner’s representative on the Board. Kristina Ekengren was elected as new Board member to fill the vacancy. Kristina Ekengren is Deputy Director at the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation and also serves on many boards of directors, including Jernhusen, Bergvik Bank and VisitSweden. Pia Sandvik also resigned from the Board. Her replacement will be appointed at a later date. 

• Britta Burreau, Olle Ehrlén, Ingela Lindh, Gunnar Svedberg och Ingemar Ziegler were re-elected to serve as directors. 

• KPMG AB was re-elected to serve as the accounting firm for a period of one year until the end of the 2017 AGM. Authorised public accountant Björn Flink from the auditing firm will continue to serve as lead auditor.

• Campus development