AirBoss names Mikael Fryklund executive VP, chief strategy officer

NEWMARKET, Ontario— AirBoss of America Corp. has added a new C-Suite executive to its management team, someone who has a background in two of the Newmarket-based firm's key markets.

Mikael Fryklund was appointed to the role of executive vice president and chief strategy officer on Feb. 5.

Fryklund is a familiar face both in the custom mixing world as the former CEO of top mixer Hexpol A.B. out of Sweden and as a former executive of Trelleborg A.B., where he was involved in the firm's noise, vibration and harshness division.

"Mikael Fryklund has extensive knowledge of the global rubber business, and we believe he will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the overall strategic direction of the company," Chris Bitsakakis, president and co-CEO of AirBoss, said in a statement. "His three decades of experience in related industries, including 25 years in senior managerial and executive roles for rubber and plastic manufacturers, will be invaluable in developing, executing and sustaining our strategic initiatives."

Airboss said Fryklund helped drive significant growth in non-automotive NVH products during his time at Trelleborg. Fryklund spent 15 years with the Swedish rubber product maker, and was business area president of Trelleborg Industrial Solutions since its creation in 2012 until he left the company in early 2017.

From there Fryklund went to another Swedish firm, Hexpol, where he replaced then-President and CEO Georg Brunstam, who moved up to chairman. AirBoss said that Fryklund served Hexpol "during a period of strong growth and financial performance."

Fryklund and Hexpol parted ways in February 2020. Brunstam said at the time that the group had not met the board's expectations in terms of growth for both sales and earnings. The decision to part ways came despite what Brunstam called a number of "well-managed and well-positioned" acquisitions.

Brunstam eventually returned to the president and CEO posts before he died unexpectedly last Sept. 1.

Fryklund was named president and CEO for Enedo Group—first in an interim role in 2021 and then a permanent one beginning in November 2022. He was promoted to chief operating officer for parent firm Inission Group in August 2023 "after a successful turnaround of Enedo, from large losses over many years to a positive operating profit/EBIT," Inission said in a statement.

Fryklund holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Chalmers University of Technology and a bachelor's in business administration/finance from Stockholm University.

AirBoss of America is a leading and diversified developer, manufacturer and provider of innovative survivability solutions, advanced custom rubber compounds and finished rubber products. It operates through three divisions: AirBoss Defense Group, AirBoss Rubber Solutions and AirBoss Engineered Products.