WARM tributes have been paid to Sven-Ove Lindgren, the man who brought Findus to Grimsby.

Mr Lindgren, who has died at the age of 81, moved to the area in 1960 to oversee the creation of the Swedish company's first factory in the UK.

Under his management, Findus expanded to occupy three sites in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, employing about 3,000 people at the height of its success.

He retired after more than 20 years at the helm, and in retirement shared his time between his native Sweden and his adopted home of Cleethorpes.

Described as "one of life's gentlemen", Mr Lindgren, a former member and president of the Rotary Club Of Grimsby, died on Thursday, February 2, after a battle with cancer.

He is survived by his children Agneta and Magnus, and grandchildren Rebecca and Rachel.

His wife of 46 years, Elisabet, died in 2004.

Magnus said: "My father was a true leader, he inspired people, led by example and appreciated that in business a company's biggest assets are it's staff.

"His greatest ambition was to provide people with a good working environment where they were treated fairly. I still hear comments from people complimenting him as the best boss they ever had – more than 25 years on.

"All of these values carried through to the rest of his life, so we are blessed to have had such a great father, grandfather, husband, friend or work colleague – he will truly be missed."

Born in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1930, Mr Lindgren qualified as a biochemist before working for Findus in his homeland.

In 1960 he was tasked with opening the firm's first factory in the UK, at land off Humberstone Road, Grimsby.

Local architect George Palejowski designed the factory, along with a Scandinavian-style house for Mr Lindgren and his wife in Cleethorpes.

Mr Palejowski said: "I was the first person to meet Sven when he arrived in the UK and we were good friends for more than half a century.

"He was honest, reliable, trustworthy and hardworking. He was strict, but very fair to the people he employed. He liked to be with people and he was very sociable."

Fish finger production started at the Humberstone Road Factory in 1962, and six years later the company's merger with the Eskimo brand led to the opening of Findus factories in Orwell Street, Grimsby, and Pelham Road, Cleethorpes.

With new products, such as beefburgers, crispy pancakes, lasagne and French bread pizzas, rolling off the production lines, the workforce swelled to 3,000 during the 1970s.

Mr Lindgren retired in 1983.

Following his departure, the Findus factories in Orwell Street and Pelham Road shut down.

Findus pulled out of Humberstone Road in 1993. Today the factory is owned by Young's.

Steve Norton, chief executive of the Grimsby Fish Merchants Association, worked at Findus in the 1970s.

He said: "Sven was without doubt one of life's gentlemen. He faced a mammoth task when he arrived from his native Sweden in 1960, working incredibly hard to establish a business that became a household brand.

"Sven had a presence about him. When he walked around the various production sites he would take the time to talk to people and he would remember their names."

Mr Lindgren was a member of the Rotary Club Of Grimsby and in his presidential year laid on a well-attended Swedish smorgasbord for an event at the Winter Gardens in Cleethorpes.

He was also a member of the Grimsby, Cleethorpes And District Civic Society, and was a keen tennis player.

Mr Lindgren's funeral will be held at St Peter's Church, Cleethorpes at 10.45am on Friday, March 2.