Swedish multinational hygiene and health company serving over one billion people globally. Essity opened a Business Service Center in Lisbon's Parque das Nações in 2022, now employing 200+ professionals across finance, IT, and human resources functions supporting European operations.
Essity has operated in Portugal since 1998, but significantly expanded its footprint in 2022 when it opened a major Business Service Center in Lisbon's Parque das Nações district. The four-floor facility serves as a hub for shared services across Essity's European operations, consolidating finance, IT, and human resources functions that previously operated across multiple locations. The Lisbon center now employs over 200 people from 19 different nationalities, reflecting both the company's commitment to Portugal and its use of the market as a gateway for continental European operations.
The strategic move to Lisbon reflects a broader trend of Swedish and Nordic companies establishing shared-services centers in Portugal — a market with lower operating costs than Sweden or other Western European hubs, strong English-language workforce capabilities, and reliable infrastructure. Essity's brands (TENA, Tork, Libero) remain widely distributed through Portuguese retail channels and healthcare systems, while the Lisbon team handles back-office optimization for the wider European region.
Essity's Lisbon Business Service Center demonstrates how mature Nordic multinationals are using Portugal not just as a consumer market, but as an operational hub for European efficiency. The 200-person team handling finance and IT for a global hygiene company signals confidence in Portuguese talent and regulatory frameworks — and often serves as the entry point for other Nordic companies evaluating the market.
Fractio helps Nordic companies enter the Portuguese market — from market sizing to first sales, hiring, and legal setup.
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