Hello!

My name is Helene, and I work as a Controller at Hallsta Paper Mill. This week, you can follow me on Holmen's employee blog. Come along!

Who am I?

I grew up on Väddö in Stockholm's northern archipelago, but lived in Stockholm for many years. There, I earned a degree in business and economics and began my career as a controller, working in sectors including the cultural industry. Getting a job at Hallsta Paper Mill made it possible for me to move back to Väddö with my husband and son. Since the move, football has become a new interest, as I now coach my son's team. When I'm not coaching 30, nine-year-olds, I enjoy spending time with my family by the sea.

My workplace

I work in the finance department at Hallsta Paper Mill, part of Holmen Board and Paper. I work alongside another controller and our manager, the finance manager. We're a small, close-knit team, but each of us has a great deal of individual responsibility.

Our main task is to contribute to the paper mill's long-term profitability. We do this in many ways, including daring to challenge established assumptions and encouraging the organization to think differently. We prepare analyses that can serve as a basis for decisions.

In addition to taking part in the mill's day-to-day work, we have extensive contact with other functions across the business area and the Group, including through various change projects. We're also responsible for financial reporting to the business area for monthly and quarterly closings, forecasts and budgets.

A working day as a Controller

I do my best work in the morning, so I try to arrive as early as possible. That gives me time to prepare for meetings, clear my inbox and have the first coffee of the day.

Autumn, the season we've just entered, is the most intensive time of year for a controller. A great deal of our work goes into putting together the mill's budget for next year. The budget is prepared throughout the organization, and my role is to support, challenge, calculate and consolidate.

Alongside the budget, we're working on quarterly reporting and preparing the final forecast of the year. A lot is happening at once, and the fun part is being right in the middle of it!

My own work is interspersed with meetings across the organisation. Some are more hands-on, helping cost center owners complete the budget and interpret the results.

Other meetings are more informational and may cover budget priorities for sections and departments. Today, for example, I met with colleagues from the Maintenance department to hear which activities should be included in the budget.

To unwind between meetings and analysis, my fellow controller and I usually go to the company gym at lunchtime. It's perfect for clearing the mind and tiring out the body a little!

I spend the rest of the day with my new friend Copilot, building analyses that will be used later in the budgeting process.

Why Holmen?

I really appreciate the friendly, close-knit atmosphere here at the mill, and I enjoy working with my colleagues—both in the department and across the mill. Here, I get to work closely with the business and have a chance to influence decisions. Having the opportunity to be creative and think differently is important to me, and here I’m encouraged to do just that. Being part of a Group also gives me an enjoyable mix of working both locally and nationally.

Thank you for joining me for a while! I hope you've learned more about what a controller actually does from day to day.

5 things I always have on my desk

1. Scraps of paper covered in illegible scribbles

2. My phone charger

3. An empty coffee cup

4. A banana—a must before my lunchtime workout!

5. Pens—pencils, ballpoints and highlighters. Every kind I can get my hands on!