16  I  SEED WORLD EUROPE  I  SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPE | OCTOBER 2026
Her arrival comes under unusual circumstances. Her pre­
decessor, Per Henriksson, passed away suddenly, leaving no 
opportunity for a handover. Nilsson has therefore spent her first 
months both rebuilding some of the practical knowledge needed 
to run the association and looking towards a period in which 
major European policy files, including new genomic techniques, 
plant reproductive material and the Community Plant Variety 
Rights system, are moving forward.
Seed World Europe spoke with Nilsson about the experi­
ences that shaped her, the particular characteristics of Swedish 
seed production and breeding, the importance of smaller coun­
tries having a voice in European policymaking and why one long 
discussed improvement to Sweden’s farm saved seed system 
would carry a special significance.
A CIRCLE 25 YEARS IN THE MAKING
Seed World Europe: Malin, congratulations on becoming 
the secretary general of SVUF. What does this new respon­
sibility mean to you personally, and what attracted you to 
step into this role at this moment in your career?
Malin Nilsson: SVUF has always been there in one way or 
another. For me personally, this responsibility is a kind of closing 
the circle, starting all the way back when I joined Svalöf Weibull 
in 2001.
SVUF had its offices at the Svalöf Weibull premises. Folke 
Sjöberg, the secretary general at that time, was a very low key, 
kind person, though I know that he managed the quite tough 
discussions with farmers, explaining the farm saved seed system 
that had recently been introduced.
I worked with the international part of the business and, more 
specifically, I got to learn right from the start about variety licens­
ing and contracts. With that, I automatically became acquainted 
with the concept and practical implementation of royalties, PVR 
and variety listing, and increasingly also with farm saved seed 
royalty collection systems.
My nearest colleague and mentor, Jan Erik Fridell, took over 
SVUF after Folke’s retirement. After his retirement, Per Henriksson 
took over and ran the operations until his tragic and sudden pass­
ing. I was Per’s counterpart at SW Seed and later Lantmännen. 
I worked at company level with the topics that Per managed for 
the SVUF membership.
I’ve always enjoyed working on topics that require a high level 
of understanding of the context and how things are connected. 
When I then get to use that knowledge to support others and 
bring the business forward, that’s where it gets really exciting.
25 years after entering the seed sector, Malin Nilsson takes charge at SVUF, bringing 
experience in breeding, royalties and policy to a changing Swedish and European 
landscape. By: Marcel Bruins
When Malin Nilsson joined Svalöf Weibull in 2001, the Swedish 
Seed Trade Association, SVUF, was already part of her profes­
sional surroundings. Quite literally, in fact: the association had its 
offices on the Svalöf Weibull premises.
Over the years, Nilsson worked with many of the same sub­
jects that occupied the association, including variety licensing, 
royalties, plant variety rights, variety listing and farm saved seed. 
She also worked alongside successive SVUF secretary generals, 
first through her company roles and now, 25 years after entering 
the seed sector, as the person leading the association herself.
Closing the Circle

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