Change Leaders

Eva Karlsson is the CEO of the outdoor brand Houdini; a company that embraces sustainability all the way, down to the very fiber. In this interview, you will hear the fascinating story of how a Houdini garment is almost completely biodegradable, and the holistic idea behind the clothes and the business model. Instead of using "sustainability", Houdini rather refers to regeneration; a systems-thinking approach with the goal to create more value for the planet and the society than it captures for itself. This interview is a must if you're interested in new ways of thinking that embrace both head and heart.

Eva mentions the Half-Earth Project at the end of the interview. You can read more about this project here: https://www.half-earthproject.org/ 

This is the last episode of this season. Let's keep in touch at: 

www.carolinenordvall.com

[email protected]

Lars Appelqvist came on as the CEO of the Swedish meat producer SCAN in November 2020, after 23 years in the coffee industry. We talk about the commons and differences in these two businesses; both with long value chains, but with different challenges. We dive into different aspects of the controversial meat industry, and how SCAN is now aiming to become a versatile food company. We also talk about how to motivate people, how to drive change, and about the difference between being a manager and a leader.

Anna Graaf är hållbarhetschef på White Arkitekter, ett av Skandinaviens största arkitektkontor med runt 700 medarbetare. I den här intervjun pratar vi bland annat om miljömässigt och socialt hållbar stadsplanering, hur digitala verktyg kan bidra till minskad klimatpåverkan i designprocessen och pionjärarbetet som krävs för att tackla hållbarhetsfrågans komplexitet.

Anna Graaf är hållbarhetschef på White Arkitekter, ett av Skandinaviens största arkitektkontor med runt 700 medarbetare. I den här intervjun pratar vi bland annat om miljömässig och socialt hållbar stadsplanering, hur digitala verktyg kan bidra till minskad klimatpåverkan i designprocessen och pionjärarbetet som krävs för att tackla hållbarhetsfrågans komplexitet. 

This week we talk about real estates with Anna Hamnö Wickman, Head of Sustainability in Bonava. We dive into science-based targets and the complex value chain that is so significant for the real estate sector. We also get to know what sparked Anna’s interest for sustainability in the first place, and what we can learn from the future generation.

Bonava does some really interesting work in creating happy neighborhoods for people and researching what actually seems to create a happy living situation for people. You can take part of this research in their report "Happy Quest" on the following link (in Swedish): https://www.bonava.se/om-oss/happy-quest

Johan Söderström is the former CEO of the leader industry concern ABB Sweden. Today he’s managing large parts of Hitachi ABB Power Grids; a joint venture between ABB and Hitachi. Johan has been in the concern for over 30 years, and in this interview we talk about the keys to constantly develop at work and about coaching and supporting people – but also about his engagement for gender diversity in a male-dominated industry. And of course, about the major energy transition that is currently shaping the industry.

Anna Denell is Head of Sustainability at Vasakronan, Sweden’s largest property company. In this interview, we talk both about how to manage commercial offices in a sustainable way, and how to use them better, since offices are actually just used about 10 percent of the time. We also discuss the working conditions throughout the supply chain, finding the link between sustainability and profitability, and yet again – the topic of sustainable leadership. 

Christina Andersson is the CEO of Novare Leadership Academy, part of Novare; a large human capital organization working with recruitment, training programs and leadership forums. Novare Leadership Academy has developed a really interesting sustainability- and change management program together with the World Economic Forum, where the participants of the program have developed 17 sustainability lessons for leaders. This is the topic of today's conversation! We also talk about how to navigate in the digital work-life as a leader, the complexity of sustainability, and the journey of self-discovery and self-development. 

Check out the 17 sustainability lessons for leaders here:

https://novare.se/leadership-academy/ta-del-av-novares-17-hallbarhetslardomar-for-ledare/

Andreas Follér is Head of Sustainability in Scania, a world-leading provider of heavy transport solutions, employing more than 50,000 people in about 100 countries. One of the greatest environmental challenges is to reduce the negative impacts from transports and the industry is on a major transformation journey. In this interview, we talk about energy efficiency, renewable fuels and electrification, and smart and safe transports - but also about ethics, the problem with setting long-term goals, and of course, about sustainable leadership. 

Sofia Breitholtz is the CEO of Reach for Change, an organization working to improve the lives of children and youth through social entrepreneurship and empowerment. With a diverse background from various sectors, Sofia talks about the need to include multiple actors on the impact journey, and how entrepreneurship has a catalytic effect on society. We also talk about the need for combining a business mindset with a strong purpose, seeing sustainable leadership as a life-long project, and following your intuition. You will also get to hear Sofia’s formula for effective change management.