Mondi CEO Peter Oswald: Commitment to ‘Digital Austria’ in Honorary Capacity

The Austrian Federal Minister of Digital and Economic Affairs, Dr. Margarete Schramböck, announced end of January a new independent non-profit initiative fit4internet, to support the government’s ambitions to increase the digital capability of Austria’s citizens.  Fit4internet will serve as a hub and platform for improving digital competencies in close collaboration with companies, institutions and organizations. Peter Oswald, CEO of global paper and packaging group Mondi, which has a group office in Vienna, was appointed  its first President.

Commenting on his appointment as President of fit4internet, Peter Oswald said:  “Collaboration between economy, politics and society will help improve digital competencies – and thanks to this initiative Austria will become one of the leading countries in Europe in that respect.” 

Oswald’s commitment to the initiative underscores the need for collaborative efforts involving politics, economy and society, in order to cope successfully with new technologies and social conditions. “By bringing together people and digitalisation, we can help enhance Austria’s competitiveness as a place to do business. That applies to the economy as well as society. That is why I personally, together with Mondi, am supporting this initiative.” 

As a global packaging and paper company, Mondi has for many years been investing in employees, improved processes (e.g. purchasing and personnel management processes) and state-of-the-art plants. “Among other things we use digitalisation to provide support for our machine operators and maintenance personnel, and we use artificial intelligence in self-learning converting and paper machines, thereby freeing up employees’ time for more valuable tasks and activities such as innovation and new areas of application,” stated Oswald. 

At the same time, Mondi is putting emphasis on new types of jobs such as data scientist, digital HR advisor or continuous improvement & digital transformation manager – jobs, which, according to Oswald, “just a few years ago didn’t exist.” With around 2,500 employees at eight production sites in Austria, Mondi is a major local employer in Austria. 

With the help of its in-house staff development hub The Mondi Academy, Mondi has been investing in its own staff for over 20 years, offering inter alia digital boot camps and learning apps. “We need new and different skill sets now. Mondi is not immune to staff shortages, which is why helping improve competencies in Austrian society will be a key focus of my activities as President of the Association. In all our initiatives, at fit4internet and at Mondi, the focus will always be on people,” noted Oswald.