diff --git a/requirements-swh.txt b/requirements-swh.txt
--- a/requirements-swh.txt
+++ b/requirements-swh.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 swh.storage >= 0.0.163
-swh.model >= 0.0.59
+swh.model >= 0.0.60
 swh.scheduler >= 0.0.39
 swh.loader.core >= 0.0.80
diff --git a/swh/loader/svn/converters.py b/swh/loader/svn/converters.py
--- a/swh/loader/svn/converters.py
+++ b/swh/loader/svn/converters.py
@@ -3,14 +3,11 @@
 # License: GNU General Public License version 3, or any later version
 # See top-level LICENSE file for more information
 
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Union
-
-from email import utils
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 from swh.model.model import (
     Person, Revision, RevisionType, TimestampWithTimezone
 )
-from swh.loader.package.utils import EMPTY_AUTHOR
 
 from .utils import strdate_to_timestamp
 
@@ -34,33 +31,18 @@
     )
 
 
-def svn_author_to_swh_person(author: Union[str, bytes]) -> Person:
+def svn_author_to_swh_person(author: Optional[bytes]) -> Person:
     """Convert an svn author to an swh person.
     Default policy: No information is added.
 
     Args:
-        author (string): the svn author (in bytes)
+        author: the svn author (in bytes)
 
     Returns:
         a Person
 
     """
-    # TODO: Align this function and move it up as library helper function
-    if not author:
-        return EMPTY_AUTHOR
-
-    if isinstance(author, str):
-        author = author.encode('utf-8')
-
-    if b'<' in author and b'>' in author:
-        name, email = utils.parseaddr(author.decode('utf-8'))
-        return Person(
-            fullname=author,
-            name=name.encode('utf-8'),
-            email=email.encode('utf-8')
-        )
-
-    return Person(fullname=author, name=author, email=None)
+    return Person.from_fullname(author or b'')
 
 
 def build_swh_revision(
diff --git a/swh/loader/svn/svn.py b/swh/loader/svn/svn.py
--- a/swh/loader/svn/svn.py
+++ b/swh/loader/svn/svn.py
@@ -106,19 +106,11 @@
     def convert_commit_author(self, author):
         """Convert the commit author into an swh person.
 
-        The user becomes a dictionary of the form::
-
-            {
-              name: author,
-              email: '',
-              fullname: author
-            }
-
         Args:
             author (str): the commit author to convert.
 
         Returns:
-            The transformed author as dict.
+            Person: a model object
 
         """
         return converters.svn_author_to_swh_person(author)
diff --git a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_converters.py b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_converters.py
--- a/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_converters.py
+++ b/swh/loader/svn/tests/test_converters.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 
     """
     actual_person = converters.svn_author_to_swh_person(
-        'tony <ynot@dagobah>')
+        b'tony <ynot@dagobah>')
 
     assert actual_person == Person.from_dict({
         'fullname': b'tony <ynot@dagobah>',
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
     """The author and fullname should be the same as the input (author).
 
     """
-    actual_person = converters.svn_author_to_swh_person('tony')
+    actual_person = converters.svn_author_to_swh_person(b'tony')
     assert actual_person == Person.from_dict({
         'fullname': b'tony',
         'name': b'tony',
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
     byte-string.
 
     """
-    actual_person = converters.svn_author_to_swh_person('')
+    actual_person = converters.svn_author_to_swh_person(b'')
     assert actual_person == Person.from_dict({
         'fullname': b'',
         'name': None,