Construction union veteran to lead co-op housing giant

24/05/2024, 08:28

Lars Hildingsson. Imagesource: Byggnads.

The Riksbyggen council has elected Lars Hildingsson from the Swedish Building Workers' Union (Byggnads) as the new chair of Riksbyggen, one of Sweden's largest cooperative housing associations.

Anna Broberg

Hildingsson, who previously served as deputy on the board, takes over from Johan Lindholm, who stepped down after being elected as the new chair of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO).

– It is both an honor and an inspiration to take over as chair. The construction industry is going through an extremely tough period right now, but Riksbyggen has every opportunity to emerge stronger from the economic downturn and continue being a positive force for the entire housing market, just as we have been for over 80 years, Hildingsson stated.

The new Riksbyggen board includes representatives from unions, co-operative societies, insurance firms, and Riksbyggen’s regional associations. Key worker representatives from unions like Unionen and Fastighetsanställdas förbund are also included.

Hildingsson’s extensive background in the building trades union will likely influence Riksbyggen’s strategies as it navigates challenging market conditions in the construction sector. As chair, he will play a pivotal role in guiding the cooperative through the industry downturn while upholding its longstanding commitment to affordable housing.

The translation was written by an AI system, though the original text was authored by a human.