Viken Group announces appointments to CFO and Commercial Director roles

The Viken Group a conglomerate of businesses and preferred partners operating at the highest levels of the cruise and yacht industries has announced appointments to two new roles.

First, Anna Silvesjö CFO of Tillberg Design of Sweden joins as Viken’s CFO to work alongside Viken CEO Stefan R. Nilsson. Second, Antonio Romano Co-founder and Business Director at Italian design studio Hot Lab has been appointed Commercial Director at Viken.

The Viken Group was established in 2022 to bring together leading design and project management companies in the marine sector who share similar beliefs and passions both for the development of design and the evolution of the sector toward more sustainable propositions. Named after the Swedish town of Viken, where Tillberg Design of Sweden was founded in 1964, the Viken Group was formed by Tillberg as an umbrella company in February 2022, at the same time acquiring Italian design and naval architecture practice Thalia Marine. The Group acquired Hot Lab in June 2022, further strengthening its global expertise offering to the cruise ship and yacht segments.

“We established the Viken Group in early 2022 to offer our current and future clients in the cruise and yacht industries a customised, cost-efficient and streamlined service encompassing everything from naval architecture and design to project management,” says Viken Group CEO Stefan R. Nilsson. “The addition of Thalia Marine and Hot Lab to the Group reinforced our determination to offer a best-of-the-best service with a view to sustainability in the marine sector, with a ‘Better Together’ mantra that encapsulates our collective ethos.

“I am pleased to welcome experienced CFO Anna Silvesjö to the team, and I am excited to work alongside Hot Lab’s Antonio Romano as the Group’s new Commercial Director, who will no doubt prove a huge asset thanks to his creative vision, understanding of design, and considerable experience in the yacht and superyacht sector.”

Expert grouping

The Viken Group currently comprises Tillberg Design of Sweden and Italian companies Thalia Marine and Hot Lab. The Group is majority owned by Swedish investment company AB Max Sievert.

Tillberg Design of Sweden is one of the world’s leading design practices focused on cruise ships. TDoS Yacht focuses on the high end and private clients. Bringing Scandinavian design nous and sustainable solutions to the cruise and yacht industries as well as working with many of the world’s leading cruise operators and hospitality companies. The extensive team covers a broad range of design disciplines and prides itself on identifying and setting trends to create unique brands and innovative solutions for interior architecture, signage and branding. Alongside its commitment to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Tillberg Design of Sweden has made sustainable practices, choices and materials a core facet of its business.

Thalia Marine’s client list reads like a who’s who of the cruise industry, and over two decades the company’s team of skilled naval architects, interior designers and marine surveyors have built an extraordinary depth of knowledge and expertise in the project management, design and engineering of cruise ships and yachts, from concept to delivery.

Hot Lab was founded in Milan in 2004 and was named for a core concept of its approach to yacht design the combining of passion with technical precision, and research with balanced style and luxury. Describing its output as ‘Architecture for Voyagers’, over the past two decades the studio has won numerous awards for its superyacht designs.

AB Max Sievert is a Swedish long-term owner with focus on investments in profitable Swedish and Nordic companies that share an ethical and sustainable approach to business. AB Max Sievert invests long-term, without an exit horizon, often alongside founders and family owners with management teams of each company being co-owners alongside AB Max Sievert and its partners.

The Viken Group is currently AB Max Sievert’s sole investment in the maritime sector, reflecting both Viken Group’s drive to deliver a sustainable and profitable business model and also AB Max Sievert’s confidence in the passion and capability of the Viken Group’s partner companies.