Hi Stina, how nice to have you here! Tell us about your background.
– Nice to be here! I have almost 30 years of experience from the IT industry, but I am actually an economist from the start. I started with accounting but realized quite quickly that information technology is more exciting and forward-looking. Since I am curious and also need to balance my career with a few children, I have subsequently had many different roles including system development, project management, consultant, IT manager, HR manager, sales and business management. Most recently, I come from the role of regional manager at Sogeti where I was responsible for the Skåne operations consisting of about 110 empoyees.
And now as a consultant, what does the work look like at the customers?
– The starting point is always the customer’s needs, says Stina. The first thing I do is create a picture of the business by listening to the employees. I also fit in to listen to what they want, can and what drives them. It is very good to have at a later stage when it is time to get to the improvement work. After this I often see what needs to be done to achieve a lasting result, but it is not always easy to explain to the customer that one needs to change something in a seemingly decent part of the business to remove a pain in one. another part. When the plan is finished and the management team is checked in on it, just roll up your sleeves and get started. I work at all levels, from the receptionist to the board, and often make several parallel changes simultaneously. There may be small things that make a big difference to the larger system changes.
In the industries you have worked in – what are they facing now in the near future, as you see it?
– The common challenge they now have is to take advantage of what the digital opportunities provide. Before anyone else does and maybe find a smart solution for your most profitable segment. Some industries have come further than others, such as the media, the financial sector and the consumer trade, while there is a lot more to do in, for example, the industry and healthcare. There are far too many companies and organizations that still see IT as a cost and not an enabler. It can be devastating in the long run, I mean.
You have worked with your customers’ business and their potential, where does that interest come from? – I have always had an inherent drive to do things better, says Stina. It has not yet landed in that I have grasped any opportunity myself and developed that business idea. So far, I have had the opportunity in any dose at most jobs I have had and had fun enough with it. Making a difference is nourishing me. However, I admire all the entrepreneurs who actually do some of their ideas.
Is there anything more that you think is important to think about in the future for your customers?
– Communication and ways of working! Digitization has made the world become smaller, changes in the outside world are progressing faster and the increased transparency places high demands on being able to adapt. It is high time to start working on the basis of agile principles, not just in the world of system development, but throughout the organization. It includes e.g. responsiveness to customers, responsibility and mandate far out in the organization, transparency in communication not only internally but with everyone in your ecosystem, including the customers. This is of course a big change for the traditional managerial team, CFOs and buyers who want nailed budgets and specifications. A reflection I made recently is that our Swedish SAS-Jan (former CEO) «Tear the Pyramids» is more current than ever! Maybe read it again. It was a while ago…
Stina, last question, your home is on fire! What are you leaving behind?
– I would of course make sure that everyone in my family comes out. My photos and movies are also dear to me, but since I live as I learn and use cloud services, they probably also get left. If I have time and opportunity, I will probably also have one of the paintings that my husband likes. After all, most others can be recreated.
Stina Berggren will work to strengthen our offering in business development and change management. She will also have a special focus on Skåne and the Öresund region. We at Anchor are very happy that we managed to attract a star shot like Stina. She will make us all better!
