Carolus Wrede

Baron Carl Gustaf Garibaldi Fabian "Carolus" Wrede af Elimä (27 December 1860 – 15 May 1927) was a Finnish industrialist.

Wrede was born in Kaarina, close to Turku in a large family as one of the youngest children.

His parents were major, Baron Wilhelm Otto Casper David Wrede af Elimä and countess Hedvig Johanna Wilhelmina Gustava née Armfelt.

He wanted the company to build a bobbin factory and a groundwood mill; however, the Hackman family was not willing to make such large-scale investments.

[1] In 1902 Wrede left Hackman & Co. after buying premises of previously bankrupted Lehtoniemi company located in Joroinen.

The facilities comprised shipyard, engineering works, hydropower plant, sawmill and flour mill.

[1] After World War I Åbo Jernmanufaktur fell into financial trouble; subsequently, the main creditor Union Bank of Finland took control on the company.

Wrede appointed his son-in-law, young engineer Wilhelm Wahlforss to manage the factory.

Wrede sold most of the shares to Saint Petersburg businessman Harald Lundsten and Emissions Ab, after which he owned one third of the company.

[1] While Wrede was a moderniser as a business leader, he is characterised as an arch-conservative patriarch in his private life.