What career path did you imagine for yourself when you were younger?

”At a very young age I had the same dreams as my seven-year-old son has today. I wanted to be a policeman, a pilot or a firefighter.

But honestly, I didn’t fight that much to achieve those dreams. During the school holidays I was lucky to have a lot of different jobs and I was able to try out a variety of different professions. I worked in a book store and in a control room in a powerplant, for example. The weirdest summer job I had was to vacuum-clean a flour mill in Norway.

Once a year they closed down the mill to get rid of all the dust when all the rooms where white with flour-dust from floor to ceiling. It wasn’t as boring as it sounds, it was kind of encouraging to see the instant result and it was impossible to cheat, since it was quite clear if there was still flour left. Long story short, I didn’t have a clear picture of what I wanted to do, but I was always curious and openminded.”

When did you decide on the career path you have today?

”I’ve always been interested in economics and what’s going on around the globe and I think my wife would say I’m a news addict.

When I was a teenager I got interested in stocks and this gave me an understanding of how Swedish companies and the Swedish economy is dependent on the rest of the world. During my time at the university I was a member of ”Börsgruppen” (the finance and trading society) and in the fall of 2008, we spent a couple of days visiting different investment banks and financial institutions in London.

We visited the enormous trading floors at the global banks and heard people talking about stock specific news and macro events and I felt like I was in the heart of the global economy. That was a real eyeopener for me.”

Would you say this trip was the most important part of your education?

”It’s hard to pinpoint a specific time or subject, but when I did my master’s degree in Science in Industrial Engineering and Management, we had a number of different courses like math, finance and mechanics which gave me an ability to think logically, solve problems and structure information.

Today, this helps me to understand clients’ needs and to find the best solution for each specific client. My job is about interacting with humans, both colleagues and clients, and to do that successfully you need to have social skills - that’s something you develop throughout your entire life and not in a classroom.”

What point on your resumé represents the biggest change in your career?

”That’s a hard question, but the first thing that comes to mind is actually before my professional career started and even before I started studying.

It was a major event that could have changed where I am today. I had spent almost two years in the Swedish army and after this I was a bit ambivalent. So for some reason I decided to apply to the dentist program. I was rejected in the final step after a series of interviews and tests. I hate losing, but I would say that that’s my best loss ever. Today I’m so grateful that I didn’t pass and ended up at my second choice which took me to where I am today.”

What is the best part of where you are today?

”All the great people I get the opportunity to interact with every day, both clients and colleagues, all of them are very professional and experienced.”

Which leader in the business has inspired you the most?

”I would say my first boss at Handelsbanken Capital Markets, who hired me as a graduate. He was always willing to share his experience and included me in his daily work.

He taught me not only the basics of the Swedish financial markets, but also shared a lot of his experiences from working several years in financial industry in London. He helped me to keep a very steep learning curve for several years and kept challenging me to keep being curious.”

What preoccupies you at the moment?

”Since I just joined Schroders I’m quite busy meeting internal stake holders and educating myself about our product offering.

My first impression is great. Schroders has a longstanding commitment to sustainability and has dedicated a lot of resources to this. It has been a great experience to delve into our capabilities within that world in terms of products, proprietary tools and what’s to come.

Schroders’ acquisition of BlueOrchard is also something that peaked my interest. As a boutique investment manager with a 20 year track record within the impact space, I believe they possess intrinsic knowledge on how to make a real difference, which is so important in this day and age.”

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