During the last few months, MW Group has not only grown at a record pace, but we have also appointed several key positions to continue our momentum going forward. CEO and Founder Mikael Karlsson comments on why we are doing this now and why we chose these individuals.
Much has happened in just the last year in regard to societal resilience, not only in Europe but across the globe. What are your initial thoughts on it, and how does this relate to what we do at MW Group?
During the last decade, we have seen increased tensions and threats; this year, we even witnessed an unparalleled and unforgivable invasion and war in our close proximity. This has changed our geopolitical landscape and put a spotlight on the resilience of our societies and what we hold dear. Our mission to serve a stronger society has never been more relevant and important – and that is a task we do not take lightly.
MW Group works closely with the different Nordic Defence Forces, government authorities and actors that account for our Nordic societal resilience capabilities. We support them across a broad variety of vectors, whether field services or cyber and defence solutions.
What are the most critical areas where MW Group can work with companies and authorities to create a stronger and safer society?
The geopolitical landscape has been increasingly unstable over the last decade, but it has become shockingly clear for everyone in Europe in the last few months.
Our Western societies are open, digitalized and internationalized more than ever before. These are great possibilities for our societies, but sadly with these possibilities come vulnerabilities. New threat vectors open up, and the armed forces, the public sector, and companies can have difficulties developing quickly and effectively – that is where we must step in and provide support, assistance and guidance – no matter the external factors.
Societies must be prepared for the unexpected and be able to handle several dimensions and arenas simultaneously; this goes for both private and public sectors. MW Group is based on the idea that all of our business areas can support the Nordic societies throughout peace-, crisis and wartime. So at this time, all of our business areas are critical in societal support.
Why did MW Group recruit these specific people?
These individuals were all hand-picked for their extremely high competence in their respective fields of expertise, with all of them having military backgrounds in addition to their respective competencies. On a personal level, they embody our MW Fundaments, Execution, Engagement and Endurance. These attributes, combined with having entrepreneurial mindsets, have been the basis for our executive recruitment strategy.
Sara Lindmark, our new Chief People Officer, comes from the Swedish Intelligence Services (MUST). Sebastian Stecki, our new Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, comes from the telecom and infrastructure sector, most recently as Swedish Head of Marketing and Group Head of Brand Strategy at GlobalConnect. Prior to his PR-agency background and military service in the Swedish Command and Control Regiment. Torbjörn Schön, our new Head of Cyber Solutions, has held several board positions and comes most recently from a director position at Ingram Micro, in addition to his experience as Parachute Ranger in the Swedish Armed Forces.
Also, we have recruited Rickard Thörn, who has a combined career from the Swedish Armed Forces and a consultant in the private sector, focusing on defence logistics and development his entire career, both nationally and internationally.
And of course Joachim Hammersland, our new Head of Defence Solutions. He served as Vice President & Strategic Advisor to Deputy CEO at Saab. From driving major change initiatives and business development with full P&L responsibilities to leading the department’s D&I initiatives, Hammersland was acknowledged as a Saab Top 150 Management Team member.
Are there any more vacant positions that MW Group want to fill?
The appointment of several of our most important roles in both business areas and across senior group management is a major success. We are in an unparalleled phase where we must be able to deliver support services for critical infrastructure, with market leading quality, new technology and security cleared personnel. It is not an easy task, nor is finding the qualified, experienced and capable people to do it. So to answer the question directly, yes – we are recruiting across almost all of our business areas.
For any questions or media inquiries, please contact Sebastian Stecki.
Sebastian Stecki
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
M: +46 739 584 086
