How do you push professional boundaries and have fun?

My position in Norway goes beyond just Trade and Invest Commissioner, I am also the Country Manager for Norway, part of Business Sweden’s management team for the Nordics and a team leader for our industry practice group for infrastructure, construction, and real estate for the EMEA region. But all those roles combine and compliment my work. I’ve been with Business Sweden since 2007 and the diversity of the responsibilities that I have makes work fun. I’m constantly energised and being challenged by the combination of the government assignment that we have and the private business sector. One day I might be talking to embassies or larger collaboration partners on both sides of the border, when it’s bilateral, to see what the big opportunities are and where we could increase growth between Sweden and Norway, within the Nordic region or with a third party country, and the next working with private companies to develop their strategy to realise their global ambitions here in Norway, the Nordics or Europe, and beyond.

All the roles that I have come together like ingredients for a great dish, separately they are ok, but put them together and they take the experience to the next level. Part of my job is to see the complexities of the challenge – for all stakeholders – and to advise and manage expectations. Discussing with clients what the drivers for their sales or growth is important, but also what our business model is, because that explains a lot about the different perspectives and how those combine to one to help them achieve their goals.

A big part of my job is solving puzzles. In my work with Swedish companies both here in Norway and previously when I was based in Germany, I have to really understand their ambitions and then align these with what is realistic in the market in a particular time frame. Often a company will see potential in a new market and assume that by just scaling up what was successful in Sweden will deliver benefits. And often the perception of what can be achieved is inflated. Often the benefits that a company might have at home like language, connections and reputation are not taken into consideration – which can really alter the road to success.

But getting all the pieces aligned is really rewarding – and it’s not the same approach each time. Sometimes project targets can take years to reach; first the company wants to establish in a new country, but that has to be refined with the right strategy, then it might be expansion into different regions within the same country or different customer segments, and then it is a matter of retaining market share or presence. Other times working with a client will happen over a shorter period of time, perhaps they have a particular challenge they need to resolve, but the complexities might still be as overwhelming. Both situations, and everything in between make for a fun and interesting working environment that supports long-term career progression and satisfaction.

But of course, I don’t do this alone. Business Sweden’s local presence in Norway, and in countries around the world gives me the opportunity to work with both Swedish and international colleagues and clients. It also means that within one organisation I have been able to develop my career through the different roles that I’ve been able to take on, the different teams I’ve led, and the different regional strategic approaches that drive our work. I haven’t been hindered by location because the work is so dynamic.

From day one, you know that your job is going to be intense, there is so much going on. For me, the intensity has somewhat changed over the years, but because of the flat hierarchies within Business Sweden, you can make an impact and have your voice heard regardless of your position. There are always possibilities to make a difference if you take it. At Business Sweden, we are our people, so I think what we do for each other as colleagues is very important as this is what makes a difference for our clients.

When I was working in Germany, the business culture around structure and agenda was comparatively stronger on the German side, but when I relocated to Norway, Norwegians often highlight the opposite. That Swedes are too structured. This might be the main cultural differences between our countries; structured way of working versus pragmatism as well as a consensus driven versus a frequent re-decision process of decision making.

It is good to look at your own country from the outside in – but from different perspectives. What you think you know or assume to be true of your culture isn’t always perceived the way it is from the outside. So, what I would bring personally would be a camera – both so Sweden can see itself how others see it from the other side of the lens as well as getting a closer look at this incredibly beautiful country where the nature takes your breath away.