A strong leader for sales and cultural change
Univar Solutions, a FORTUNE 500 Company and a leader in the distribution of chemicals and ingredients, is expanding its Nordic sales division in Vantaa, Finland. This Sales Manager role combines responsibilities for district sales in the Nordics as well as for country leadership in a matrix organization.
We at Univar Solutions are reimagining distribution. We're a leading global distributor of chemicals, additives, ingredients, and lubricants but in reality we deliver much more than that. We're the direct extension to our customers' supply chains and serve as an ally in their quest for business success. The type of relationships we hold with our suppliers enables us to deliver quality chemicals from reputable manufacturers together with unmatched value.
Our purpose is to help keep our communities healthy, fed, clean, and safe. We're proud to say we've succeeded in that both globally and in the Nordics. In January 2023, Univar Solutions was named to the FORTUNE 2023 World's Most Admired Company list in the Wholesalers: Diversified industry category. Factors such as the quality of products and services, financial soundness, innovativeness, social responsibility, quality of management and the ability to attract and retain talent determined the industry ranking.
Our Nordic organization is in an equally good place, reaching record profits and sales in 2022, as well as growth in the lubricants sector in both Finland and more broadly in the Nordics. We mainly work with automotive and heavy industries, and serve a number of well-known brands from e.g. the forest industry, and manufacturers of heavy agricultural equipment. With our distributor and supplier Shell we've had an exclusive business relationship since 2010. We are currently in the process of transitioning away from a country-focused organization to segment leadership, and desire a more united Nordic team culture. For this we need you!
Univar Solutions in numbers
- year founded
- employees globally
- MEUR global sales (2022)
- offices in the Nordics
- employees in the Nordics
- MEUR Nordic sales (2022)
Nordic District Sales
At Univar Solutions the sales of lubricants in the Nordics is divided into four large segments: district sales, automotive, agriculture, and marine-industrial. At focus here is the district sales which is a diverse segment with multiple sub-segments, including Heavy Transport, General Industry and Fleets. In addition to the now sought-after Sales Manager, the Nordic District Sales Team consists of 7 account managers spread across Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
While being the District Sales Manager for the Nordics, you are also, in-part, the Country Sales Manager in Finland. You will work at our Vantaa office and approximately 20 % of your time will go into implementing new structure and culture into the Finnish organization including team members from different sales segments. The goal is to unite all Nordic employees through a shared Univar way of working which is to be implemented across all markets and segments.
Segment Sales Managers
"Having worked previously for Shell, a major supplier and distributor of Univar, I wanted to become even closer to the producer and become part of a big global organization. Of course, this includes understanding, adopting, accepting, and following global guidelines, but in the end the organization is in a good financial state and has a focus on educating its people, so the combination works for me. In my role I get to sell the biggest brand in the world while enjoying working with my team members and coaching them to perform better. What I like most is winning new contracts and growing the business as a result. Our SELL MORE FOR MORE culture has contributed to our success as a team. We have an open and honest communication and respect for each other. For anyone considering joining us as a Sales Manager, I’d say “just do it”. You will have very good colleagues to help you and support you. Univar is a great company."
Kenneth Christoffersen
Sales Manager, Nordics
Agriculture, Resellers and Aviation
"I moved to Univar in 2010 with the Shell Lubricants business, which, at the time, was acquired by Univar. I have been working here ever since and my reasons for staying on is working with the biggest lubricant brand in the world as well as working in a large company where one can really make a difference. I’d say the best parts of working at Univar are good colleagues, honest and open communication among different teams and the fact we have fun and enjoy lots of freedom and flexibility, provided we deliver. I like how my tasks are diverse, I get to set my own limits and have the ability to help improve our chances of winning new customers. To me “The Univar way of working” means we make “logical decisions” i.e. we only change things that don’t work. It also means large freedom to anyone who takes responsibility and adds value to the team."
Thomas Pedersen
Group Product Manager
Lubricants
"My career path at Univar Solutions started in 2014 as a Product Manager in Thomas Pedersen’s team. To work in a Nordic/Global organization was tempting and that’s still an interesting part of the being at Univar. In 2020 I was asked to take on the Sales Manager role, and the reason for accepting that challenge was to get back working as a manager in charge of a team of enthusiastic sales reps across the Nordics – two of which are based in Finland. The role of the Sales Manager is demanding but there is also lots of flexibility, which is important to me. I have good, experienced colleagues and I like the fact we are open and honest with each other. There is an atmosphere of mutual trust between me and my peers, and even though there’s always room for improvement, I know that we are doing a good job. At Univar we are ambitious but never lose sight of the values we live by, safety being the most important of them by far."
Thomas Lausen
Sales Manager, Nordics
B2C
"For me it all began as an opportunity to work with a well-recognized and the largest brand in the business (Shell) and in a big global company with lots of opportunities. This combined with a very interesting customer base is still my reason for choosing Univar Solutions as my employer today. Some of the best perks of working here are the colleagues, the type of industry and the brand. I really enjoy the collaboration with our supplier, the challenges we get to take on and how we are organized. In my role the organization itself and the team spirit are what keep me motivated. Our way of working comes down to open, honest, and direct communication at all levels. This makes it easy to capture things that work and dynamically change the things that don’t."
Geir Eikemo
Sales Manager, Nordics
Industry Speciality, Marine and Offshore
Expect to be supported
Although the stakes in a large market leading company are always high, so are our expectations for ourselves. As the employer we want to support our managers and their teams to succeed. You do not need to have a strong background in the lubricants sector, your onboarding will cover our products and solutions. Culture and leadership training are at focus, as this is where we are making Nordic-level transitions.
The most important thing for us is mutual trust, which we are willing to compensate for in a motivating way. You will receive coaching and support from Per Berntson, Business Director Lubricants, as well as from the segment Sales Managers across the Nordic countries. Furthermore, Univar Solutions offers regular opportunities for learning through knowledge-sharing and workshop events, for which we have received higher ratings than for traditional trainings.
Safety before profit
We have developed industry-leading processes and procedures designed to ensure the safe storage, blending and packaging of products to protect our employees, customers, suppliers and the environment. Being Serious About Safety is Univar Solutions' core value, and putting safety before profit starts at the highest levels of our organization, our safety philosophy being fully endorsed by our CEO.
Final words of encouragement
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Sales Managers at Univar have direct and large impact on focus areas, actions, activities, etc. and the Finnish team is a good, strong, and solid unit. Working at Univar is fun and always a good challenge.
Thomas Pedersen
Group Product Manager Lubricants
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There is a lot of diversity in the Finnish team, young ambitious people as well as experienced people. I sense that there is a very strong team spirit.
Thomas Lausen
Sales Manager B2C, Nordics
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It will be fun, challenging and you will see that there are, to some extent, quite big cultural differences within the Nordic countries. You will be part of a strong team both locally in Finland and in the Nordics.
Geir Eikemo
Sales Manager IND, Nordics
Markus Fabricius
Senior Consultant I Owner
Operaria Headhunting & Recruiting
markus.fabricius@operaria.fi
+358 400 603 327