From the New Year, I took over as general manager of Kvarv, my family’s holding company. It was a step into the new year that I took with joy, but also with a great sense of responsibility.
The future
Looking ahead
For some, it may have come as a surprise. Doesn’t he have completely different interests? Is he prepared to take on that responsibility? And is he qualified for it?
The answer is yes. To all of the questions.
Being a whole person, with a wide range of interests and a broad personality, is not an obstacle to filling such a role. On the contrary. I believe it represents a strength. Especially when you also stand by it.
An inheritance can come overnight. Or, as in my case, over the dinner table at the age of fifteen. But the responsibility that comes with it takes time to grow into. I’ve spent that time. On the edge of the fish pens and in financial circles. In interaction with my family and through my own projects and investments.
The most important lesson has been this: There are responsibilities you can delegate, and responsibilities you ultimately have to take on yourself.
Kvarv and the Kverva system are staffed by the best managers and professionals in the industry—the very best at running and operating our more than 100 companies. But the ownership responsibility lies—and must lie—with the owners. I am now taking on that responsibility, after spending a few years growing into it.
Good and responsible ownership is not just about understanding the numbers, but also about understanding the businesses and the people who work there. That kind of commitment creates drive, cooperation, and a will to succeed. I need look no further than my father to know what that means.
With every company visit, every meeting with skilled employees, every board meeting where goals and strategies are discussed, I become more impressed. More engaged. More motivated.
The most important prerequisite in the role of owner is nevertheless a solid anchoring in the values on which everything is based. A willingness to manage the seed that has been handed down from the parent generation. And an ambition that what we pass on to the next generation will be at least as solid and rich in opportunities. For the family. For the many thousands of employees and the many local communities that depend on us. And for the society in which we operate.
It is this seriousness that I bring into my new role.
And I’m looking forward to filling it.
