Holmen's Mattias Brodén one of three finalists for Great Engineering Prize

When the Great Engineering Prize 2022 was awarded in Stockholm, Mattias Brodén, Head of Business Support at Holmen Paper Braviken, was one of three finalists in the Leadership category. Although he didn’t bring home the gold, he’s extremely proud and happy to have been nominated by his team.

Engineer Day is a national event by and for engineers with the purpose to celebrate and encourage knowledge sharing and networking. The day included awarding the Great Engineering Prize in the categories Sustainability, Innovation, Inclusion, Leadership, Role Model of the Year and Student of the Year.

"Besides Mattias Brodén, who was nominated by two of his team, the engineering team that have taken Holmen INNR from concept to launch were nominated by the company in the Innovation category. Their teamwork has been superb across departmental boundaries," says Anna Gundberg, HR generalist at Holmen Paper?Braviken.

A really good boss

It all started when sustainability specialists Pia Kuhla and Leonard Dahlberg heard about the prize. They read up on the different categories and decided to nominate their manager.

"Mattias is a really good boss. He's a hundred per cent results-oriented and expects all his team to deliver on their targets but he isn't a micro-manager. He is also really good at making everyone feel seen," says Pia Kuhla.

"We were delighted when we were told Mattias had got into the final. He really deserves it," says Leonard Dahlberg.

Skilled leaders means a lot

Anna Gundberg adds that it's great that Mattias was nominated by his team.

"The fact that Braviken paper mill has skilled leaders not only means that employees enjoy their work, it also makes it easier to attract new talent to the mill."?

When Mattias received the email saying he had been nominated for the leadership prize, at first he thought it was a joke.

"It was only when I googled the Great Engineering Prize that I realised it was real, and then I was very touched and very proud. When you are a manager, you don't often get feedback about your leadership," Mattias says.

High engagment scores

Mattias does in fact get feedback once a year. Recently he has topped the leadership index in Holmen's employee surveys. His team also score very highly on the engagement and team efficiency index.

I am surrounded by skilled specialists who know more about their areas than I do.

"My aim is to be a reassuring, committed and reliable leader who challenges his team and colleagues and gives them an opportunity to perform better than they themselves might have thought was possible. I am surrounded by skilled specialists who know more about their areas than I do. If they are self-starters to the extent that I can be away without the department losing its energy and focus, then I have succeeded. I also aim to respect their expertise and be curious and approachable in all my contacts," says Mattias.

About the Great Engineering Prize

The national Great Engineering Prize event was held on 16 November 2022. The prize seeks to highlight and celebrate engineers and the amazing work they do. The prize was founded by the Linti Group and is awarded jointly with their partners: Scania, Skanska, Vattenfall, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Armed Forces and Northvolt.??