Meet our new team member – Lucja Wanicka, Director of Technology Sales

Lucja Wanicka joined Spinnova to work hands-on with our Chief Revenue Officer and product team to build and manage a pipeline of technology sales opportunities. She is an accomplished expert in the man-made cellulosic fibre sector, bringing valuable industry insight to Spinnova and complementing our team with a strong, results-oriented drive to develop and lead customer projects. Below, Lucja shares more about her background, her motivation for joining Spinnova, and her outlook for the future.

"I've spent my whole career working within the man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) sector, beginning first with covering technical and operational aspects of the business while working as a process engineer at Sappi's dissolving wood pulp mill in South Africa. I was incredibly curious to know what our customers did with our "speciality cellulose", which then led me to move to Austria and work for the leading MMCF producer in Europe, Lenzing. Having covered my bases in research and development, as well as innovation, I then ventured towards discovering various commercial and strategy topics of the sector, joining AFRY Management Consulting in 2019. At the time of my departure, I was leading the division's textile industry competencies, successfully developing and growing the offering as well as increasing brand recognition.

Spinnova is a company that I have been closely following over the years, admiring its development and progress from a distance. With the company’s updated strategy, which brought in a fresh perspective and different approach, I felt that I could contribute to the company's success by putting all my learnings from my professional and educational endeavours into practice. In addition, Spinnova's technology and the fibres it produces are exceptionally unique and a testament to Finnish technology innovation - I see it as a privilege to be part of this company and its journey to creating a more sustainable future.

The macroeconomic climate is leading to overall mixed sentiment in the textile industry, which may impact the timing of our customers’ decision-making. Nevertheless, I'm optimistic that, given Spinnova's innovation and company culture, we can creatively weather this storm and adapt quickly to changing circumstances and the needs of our customers.

I see myself as further strengthening the company's commercial competencies and bringing in industry expertise - a crucial component for building credibility, trust and rapport with our customers. Our mission - transforming the raw material base of the global textile ecosystem with our technology - is definitely no easy feat, but with this A+ team and the contribution I can make, I believe that anything (and everything) is possible."

Lucja Wanicka, Director of Technology Sales at Spinnova