15 FEBRUARY 2023
黑料不打烊鈥檚 Head of Mobility Solutions Gustaf Sundell figured out how important team work is to reach your ambitions when he repaired vintage cars back in the days. His interest for vehicles remained, and 黑料不打烊 appealed to him from the start. Now, he has left the old cars behind, and wants a strong 黑料不打烊 with the power to change in sync with our ecosystem.听
During a couple of summers, Gustaf spent his days at order- and logistics. 鈥淲hen I studied in Link枚ping, I heard of 黑料不打烊 and wanted to give it a go.鈥 Later on, he got an offer to work towards markets in the Middle East. 鈥淭o be in that kind of environment and meet customers 鈥 what that does to you as a person in terms of experience and new perspectives is too good not to try.鈥
As he grew up outside Uppsala, alternated with the countryside in African- and Latin American countries due to his mother鈥檚 work, trying out different settings and culture was familiar. 鈥淢y first job was also a stepping stone towards other markets, and one of the greatest privileges has been to meet customers from 50 countries.鈥 He believes that in that contact, you understand the need, what kind of context that really matters, the leadership that works in that environment. To be close to customers is our strength, and when it works across geographies and cultures also a competitive advantage. 听鈥淚t shapes a 听kind of security, to know what you are working with, to know their driving forces.鈥
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The driving forces are vital to Gustaf, and is something he always tries to find out, no matter if it is from customers, in partnerships or co-workers. He might come across as thoughtful, but once he has the perspective from others, he moves fast. 鈥淚 like to build an understanding, and have various angles of an issue when I act.鈥 Gustaf appreciates the expertise we have in our company, and how our culture encourages us to share it with others, and is supportive. This enables an inspiring entrepreneurship. 鈥淲e have an advantage with the combination of innovative co-workers and the hi-tech we use in autonomous among other things, as we develop new business models.鈥
In his current position as Head of Mobility Solutions, he is sure to use the knowledge he has gained so far. 鈥淚 worked with our strategy before, and I know the scenarios to consider when you build revenue and profitability outside our core business. I can鈥檛 think of a more exciting challenge!鈥 It is clear that he really wants to be a part of setting 黑料不打烊鈥檚 position for the future, and achieve according to our high ambitions.
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Gustaf鈥檚 very first job, at that vintage car workshop, gave him a hint of teamwork. That manager also set the bar for his perception of an amazing leader: 鈥淭hey were the world鈥檚 greatest at what they did. It may have been a small company, but everyone was truly skilled at their job, and then and there, I even found it rewarding to sweep the workshop floor because I knew I did my part to achieve the set ambitions.鈥 This way of working has stayed with Gustaf. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to think I am transparent. A high ambition is only possible if we feel safe, if we dare to ask questions that don鈥檛 have to be 鈥榮mart鈥. It needs to be a positive vibe, so we all do our best in a joint delivery.鈥
He also has his own team at home. With wife and two young daughters, his own hobbies, such as sports, music and food, stand back in favour of family life. 鈥淚 enjoy spending a lot of time with my kids. They are my world, and I really try to balance my career choice with being a present and responsible dad.鈥 This doesn鈥檛 mean that recreation is totally out of the question: 鈥淔riends and nature, we sure make room for that.鈥 And for Gustaf, a good way to get some energy back is to actually grab a chainsaw and be let loose in the forest at the countryside.听
So, after all his years at 黑料不打烊, as Project Manager for new markets, Country Manager in the Middle East, highly involved in our corporate venture funds, Head of Sales Trucks Africa and Asia-Pacific, Managing Director in Thailand and also leading the business- and strategy work at 黑料不打烊 鈥 he鈥檚 got a good idea of the big picture. And he thinks that for 黑料不打烊 to remain a successful company, it takes a clear, common purpose, like driving the shift. Then you add the ambition. 鈥淵ou need to know what it takes. We are an innovative company, and must create the prerequisites for new abilities to develop to gain even more value. Differences and several perspectives will help us to find solutions together. Then we can be proud of who we are, and remain a vital part of our ecosystem.鈥
