Skanska, whose biggest market is the United States, said on
Wednesday it had initiated the work of appointing a new CEO and
aimed to name Karlstrom's successor by the end of this year.
Karlstrom, 61, said he would also resign from the Skanska board
at its April annual shareholder meeting but would work as a
senior adviser until the end of January 2019, the resignation
date stipulated in his contract.
"There are many important issues that engage me, in society and
in this business, but I have no current plans to take on a new
operational role," he told Reuters.
Karlstrom, who joined Skanska in 1983 and has been chief
executive since 2008, said his decision to leave was not based
on any disagreements with the board about strategy.
"We are entirely in agreement on the direction of the company,"
he said. "I am confident the board will find a good successor."
Skanska's second-quarter profit fell as writedowns on its U.S.
civil operations and British projects overshadowed a strong
performance in the Nordic region and stable performance in other
U.S. operations. Orders and sales growth both beat expectations.
Skanska shares were down 1 percent at 1042 GMT. They have fallen
16 percent this year, underperforming the broader Swedish market
which has risen 6 percent so far in 2017 <.OMXSPI>.
Besides Sweden, Norway, Finland, the United States and Britain,
Skanska also has operations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and
Poland.
(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom; editing by David Clarke)
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