Lina Andreasson

Describe your role and what it is that you do overall and on a day-to-day basis?

I work as Innovation & Insight Manager at Smurfit Kappa, one of the largest paper-based packaging companies in the world. My responsibilities are varied, and can include anything from conducting market and trend analysis to identifying potential business opportunities to laying out segmentation strategies. Collaborating closely with sales and designers in customer development projects and making sure that we deliver innovative and sustainable packaging solutions to our customers are other important aspects of my work.

What interested you about the field/company/role you are currently in?

A significant part of solving environmental challenges is the transition towards a circular economy and managing resources more efficiently. Paper packaging, being both renewable and recyclable, is an important factor to positive impact. Going to work every day knowing that I contribute to make the world a better and more sustainable place is truly rewarding. The role itself offers me a wide variety of tasks where I get to combine my strategic & creative thinking with hands on experience - all with the aim to generate growth and create value for the business.

Why did you choose to study your subject area at SSE?

After the Bachelor’s program, I was pretty certain that I didn’t want to pursue a traditional SSE career within finance or management consulting. Based on that, together with the great reputation of the XL Course with the opportunity to get exposed to real-life business problems, I chose Business and Management with specialization in Marketing as my Master’s.

How did your time/education at SSE help guide you to the career journey you have embarked on?

First of all, SSE prepared me with the right mindset to take on business tasks and challenges I regularly face by providing logical and critical thinking. It also provided me with a solid foundation in a lot of different areas of any business, from finance and accounting to management and marketing. Secondly, it was an eye-opener to different career opportunities. Attending guest lectures, company events and career fairs gave me a great exposure to everything that was possible to do after SSE – which is almost anything!

What path did you take from graduation to where you are now?

After graduating from SSE I had two clear demands for my future role: I wanted to join a trainee program and I wanted to work for a company whose vision I could stand by. With that in mind, I started as a Graduate trainee at BillerudKorsnäs, a Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer. Following my year as a trainee I took on a role within Business Development for two years. After a short detour within consulting I re-joined the paper and packaging industry during Spring 2020 to take on my current role.

Following your time studying, do you have any words of wisdom or advice you would like to share with our current students?

This might sound as a cliché but chose to do something you are passionate about! Don’t be afraid of trying out new things. The best way to figure out what you want to do is to figure out what you don’t want to do. And of course, have fun and socialize – I’ve met friends for life at SSE!

What are three words that sum up your time at SSE?

Fun, challenging & rewarding!