Rainmaker has agreed to buy all shares in Yellow Holding, owner of B2B sales outsourcer Inhouse Group, and is investigating a listing on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland. The Finnish sales and customer service outsourcer had 2025 turnover of EUR 45.9 million.

Rainmaker buys Inhouse to close the gap on its EUR 7 million B2B target 

Rainmaker aims to grow its B2B business to around EUR 7 million by the end of its 2025 to 2027 strategy period. B2B sales revenue was EUR 1.6 million in the first half, up from EUR 1.0 million. Two pilot assignments did not move into production, and volumes in its SDR service fell in spring before recovering in early summer. Inhouse covers prospecting, customer acquisition and appointment booking, and will keep its own brand. The purchase price was not disclosed.

“Inhouse Group has built a strong position in demanding B2B solution sales and developed operating models that perfectly complement Rainmaker's business entity. The acquisition supports our strategy to grow and strengthens our position as a growth partner for our customers,” says Tapio Korttilalli, CEO of Rainmaker, in the press release.

Inhouse follows two acquisitions in the first half of 2026

In February, Rainmaker bought telephone sales company Myyntimestarit and its roughly 60 sales professionals. It also bought Digizer's e-commerce customer service business.  First-half revenue rose 14.2% to EUR 24.6 million, with organic growth of 10.6% and acquisitions adding 3.6 percentage points. Comparable EBITDA rose to EUR 1.7 million, or 7.0% of revenue, the bottom of its 7 to 10% medium-term target range.

The balance sheet has been rebuilt for a listing since spring

In June, pension insurer Veritas subscribed EUR 2.0 million of new shares, equal to 11.76% of shares after registration. “The company's growth prospects and market position create a solid foundation for the company's future development and it is really great to be part of this story,” says Theo Laakso, portfolio manager at Veritas.

Interest-bearing net debt fell to EUR 5.6 million from EUR 9.7 million a year earlier, or 1.5 times rolling EBITDA. In July, several loan arrangements were replaced with a single long-term facility with fewer covenants.

Two holding companies own more than 90% of the shares

Before the Veritas shares were registered, GTW Group held 58.56% of Rainmaker and Divest Group 34.34%. The company says a listing would strengthen its capital structure and fund organic and acquisition-driven growth. A new company form, an outside equity investor and simpler debt all point the same way. The Inhouse deal gives prospective investors a first look at what a listing would pay for.

|

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Business

Rainmaker buys Inhouse Group to close its B2B gap ahead of a possible First North listing

Rainmaker buys Inhouse Group to close its B2B gap ahead of a possible First North listing

·

5 min read

Rainmaker has agreed to buy all shares in Yellow Holding, owner of B2B sales outsourcer Inhouse Group, and is investigating a listing on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland. The Finnish sales and customer service outsourcer had 2025 turnover of EUR 45.9 million.

Rainmaker buys Inhouse to close the gap on its EUR 7 million B2B target 

Rainmaker aims to grow its B2B business to around EUR 7 million by the end of its 2025 to 2027 strategy period. B2B sales revenue was EUR 1.6 million in the first half, up from EUR 1.0 million. Two pilot assignments did not move into production, and volumes in its SDR service fell in spring before recovering in early summer. Inhouse covers prospecting, customer acquisition and appointment booking, and will keep its own brand. The purchase price was not disclosed.

“Inhouse Group has built a strong position in demanding B2B solution sales and developed operating models that perfectly complement Rainmaker's business entity. The acquisition supports our strategy to grow and strengthens our position as a growth partner for our customers,” says Tapio Korttilalli, CEO of Rainmaker, in the press release.

Inhouse follows two acquisitions in the first half of 2026

In February, Rainmaker bought telephone sales company Myyntimestarit and its roughly 60 sales professionals. It also bought Digizer's e-commerce customer service business.  First-half revenue rose 14.2% to EUR 24.6 million, with organic growth of 10.6% and acquisitions adding 3.6 percentage points. Comparable EBITDA rose to EUR 1.7 million, or 7.0% of revenue, the bottom of its 7 to 10% medium-term target range.

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Our Pulse newsletter

Your weekly leadership intelligence briefing.

What happened, why it matters, and what to watch across every CEO, board, and executive move in Nordic listed companies, starting with Finland. Fast, factual, and to the point.

Delivered every Monday.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The balance sheet has been rebuilt for a listing since spring

In June, pension insurer Veritas subscribed EUR 2.0 million of new shares, equal to 11.76% of shares after registration. “The company's growth prospects and market position create a solid foundation for the company's future development and it is really great to be part of this story,” says Theo Laakso, portfolio manager at Veritas.

Interest-bearing net debt fell to EUR 5.6 million from EUR 9.7 million a year earlier, or 1.5 times rolling EBITDA. In July, several loan arrangements were replaced with a single long-term facility with fewer covenants.

Two holding companies own more than 90% of the shares

Before the Veritas shares were registered, GTW Group held 58.56% of Rainmaker and Divest Group 34.34%. The company says a listing would strengthen its capital structure and fund organic and acquisition-driven growth. A new company form, an outside equity investor and simpler debt all point the same way. The Inhouse deal gives prospective investors a first look at what a listing would pay for.

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Built for Nordic listed company boards.

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Five sessions, one cohort, twenty leaders in one room - Helsinki, 2026.

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# Topics

Authors

Devdatta Temgire is a data and business analyst at Listeds. He contributes research, data analysis, and pattern detection to the publication’s coverage of Nordic-listed companies, with a focus on board composition, leadership transitions, and financials. He holds an honors degree in artificial intelligence and data science alongside a bachelor’s in computer engineering, and previously worked at KPMG.

Devdatta Temgire is a data and business analyst at Listeds. He contributes research, data analysis, and pattern detection to the publication’s coverage of Nordic-listed companies, with a focus on board composition, leadership transitions, and financials. He holds an honors degree in artificial intelligence and data science alongside a bachelor’s in computer engineering, and previously worked at KPMG.

Authors

Devdatta Temgire is a data and business analyst at Listeds. He contributes research, data analysis, and pattern detection to the publication’s coverage of Nordic-listed companies, with a focus on board composition, leadership transitions, and financials. He holds an honors degree in artificial intelligence and data science alongside a bachelor’s in computer engineering, and previously worked at KPMG.

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All Listeds newsletters (bundle)

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Latest on Listeds

Leadership Moves

Boreo names Lassi Simola CFO, ending nearly a year of a split finance function

Oct 6, 2026

Boreo has appointed Lassi Simola, currently Workout and Restructuring Executive at Nordea, as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Group Management Team. He starts no later than 4 January 2027, ending an interim arrangement that has divided the finance role between two people since February.

Boreo brings back a CFO after deciding in February to manage without one

In December 2025, Boreo announced that CFO Jesse Petäjä would step down and said it had started recruiting a successor. In February 2026, it changed course and decided not to appoint a CFO for the time being. Rafael Osmanov became Head of M&A and Financing, and Vice President Finance Sami Hanerva took over financial reporting.

Once Simola starts, Hanerva will report to him in his current role. Osmanov will support the onboarding, and his contract ends by the end of March 2027.

The new CFO and the CEO both come from private equity and consulting dealmaking

Simola has more than 15 years in finance, over 10 of them in private equity, and is a CFA charterholder. Tuomas Kahri, CEO since 1 April 2026, was previously a partner at McKinsey & Company and Intera Partners. The hire is the first CFO appointment under Kahri.

“Lassi brings to Boreo strong expertise in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He has extensive experience working with small and medium-sized companies and possesses an excellent understanding of the challenges and opportunities these businesses face,” says Tuomas Kahri, CEO of Boreo, in the press release.

Boreo has spent 2026 preparing its balance sheet for acquisitions

Boreo grew 2025 net sales by 14% to EUR 153.3 million and operational EBIT by 17% to EUR 8.0 million, and its board proposed no dividend to strengthen the financial position. The April 2026 AGM approved that proposal. First-half 2026 net sales rose 14% to EUR 84.6 million, operational EBIT rose 21% to EUR 4.3 million, and operating cash flow improved to EUR 3.7 million.

The portfolio is moving in both directions. In July, subsidiary Floby Nya Bilverkstad sold its vehicle painting business Lackmästar'n. On 1 October, Boreo bought technical textiles maker TEXpro for an enterprise value of EUR 1.6 million, paid from existing cash.

“With its strengthened financial position and renewed focus on acquisitions, I believe the company is well positioned to pursue its growth strategy,” says Lassi Simola.

TEXpro, with EUR 1.7 million in net sales, shows the scale of Boreo's deals so far this year. A CFO hired for his acquisition record suggests the board expects that scale to grow.

Columnists

Who will build the next shared vision?

Oct 6, 2026

Currently there appears to be a widespread feeling of rising uncertainty and a lack of a shared vision for the future. During Sweden’s recent election campaign commentators repeatedly asked where the larger visions for the country had gone. Amid promises of quick fixes and tactical positioning, the question of what society we should build seemed harder to answer. Similar examples with voices calling for a new vision have also been heard in the other Nordic countries recently. The most obvious example is perhaps Finnish Sitra that explicitly describes the need for “an inspiring new promise about the future”. 

Considering the turbulent situation in the world in the last decade, it is perhaps not surprising that we find feelings of uncertainty. It is in fact something we could expect if we apply the long-term cyclical perspective of thinkers such as Neil Howe who describes how long cycles shape the characteristics of our societies and how the change from cycle to cycle typically results in crises. Viewed through the ‘wheel of seasons’ model developed by my colleagues Mats Lindgren and Jörgen Jedbratt, our current situation may represent a transition from winter to spring, during which crises will lead to new dominant paradigms. If reality were to follow the model, this should mean that we are slowly shifting towards an increased focus on long-term perspectives and finally also a rising belief in a positive future. 

Another sign of the uncertainty is the rising interest in scenario planning. This is a well-known pattern that goes back to the oil crisis of the 1970s when Shell’s scenario planning rose to fame and it is now perhaps the most familiar tool in the foresight toolbox. There is furthermore a general acceptance of scenario planning as a relevant tool for our time, but if we want to get broad participation and support for changes the map provided by the scenarios also needs to be accompanied by something more visionary.

The Nordic effect

So, if we are approaching a period of renewal maybe it is time to start thinking about how Nordic companies and other organisations could help bring this new future into being and shape it? How can we contribute to the creation of a new vision that can guide and speed up necessary changes so that we can balance sustainability and resilience, productivity and family life, and so on? Even though there exists a joint Nordic vision for 2030 that was adopted by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019 this is apparently not sufficient (and to be honest, how many of you have read it? I have, but that’s more or less required as part of my job). 

Maybe it is safe to say that it is time for a new Nordic vision? And maybe this time we should start the process as soon as possible ourselves in our own organisations so that we together can create small pieces of the great puzzle that would make up a new shared vision.

For boards, this means connecting the vision to investment priorities, capabilities and partnerships, and deciding how the organisation can contribute to a wider Nordic ambition.

Questions we need to answer in this process include:

  1. What future do we want to contribute to over the next ten to fifteen years?

  2. What can we influence? Which partners and capabilities will we need?

  3. What decisions do we need to make?

The last point may seem a bit obvious but as most of us know, foresight without action means nothing. There is in fact even a risk that foresight in some cases could become counterproductive and hinder necessary changes.

Decades ago, Kets de Vries and Miller described how some organisations become trapped in endless studies and analyses without taking action. Today, the abundance of foresight consultants and methods can give this tendency even more room to grow. An organisation may find itself contemplating a million possible futures, watching doors close one by one while trying to identify the perfect course of action. Foresight should help us choose a direction, prepare for different outcomes and move forward. A good analysis that leads to action is better than a perfect analysis that does not.

What's next

Let’s apply the tools from our foresight toolkits and start working! A new shared vision is needed and unless you take part in shaping it someone else will. So, let’s start small in our own organisations and launch processes to formulate our own visions and in this process also define our roles and purpose. This is often best done using collaborative methods – not just for the formulation of the vision but also to get people on board from the start because another thing that we need to remember is this. Scenarios and visions can give us a map of the future. But we still have to make the journey ourselves.

Johan Hammarlund

Collaborative Foresight Advisor, Kairos Future

Johan Hammarlund is a Senior Consultant at Kairos Future, a leading foresight and strategy consultancy that for more than 30 years has helped organisations anticipate change, explore future opportunities, and design strategies for long-term success. Johan specialises in collaborative foresight and democratic innovations and is active in professional networks across Sweden, the Nordic region and Europe.

Johan Hammarlund

Nordic Foresight

The Nordic Foresight Network is a network of foresight professionals advancing futures thinking across the Nordic region.

Nordic Foresight Network

Sources 

  1. Mats Lindgren - Winter is Coming or Springtime with Trump, 2016

  2. Kets de Vries and Miller - The Neurotic Organization, 1984

  3. Neil Howe - The Fourth Turning: Why American 'Crisis' May Last Until 2030, 2020

  4. Monteiro and Dal Borgo - Supporting decision making with strategic foresight, 2023

  5. Nordic prime ministers - Our Vision 2030, 2019

  6. Anna Solovjew-Wartiovaara - Sitra Megatrends Report, 2026

Latest on Listeds

Leadership Moves

Boreo names Lassi Simola CFO, ending nearly a year of a split finance function

Oct 6, 2026

Boreo has appointed Lassi Simola, currently Workout and Restructuring Executive at Nordea, as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Group Management Team. He starts no later than 4 January 2027, ending an interim arrangement that has divided the finance role between two people since February.

Boreo brings back a CFO after deciding in February to manage without one

In December 2025, Boreo announced that CFO Jesse Petäjä would step down and said it had started recruiting a successor. In February 2026, it changed course and decided not to appoint a CFO for the time being. Rafael Osmanov became Head of M&A and Financing, and Vice President Finance Sami Hanerva took over financial reporting.

Once Simola starts, Hanerva will report to him in his current role. Osmanov will support the onboarding, and his contract ends by the end of March 2027.

The new CFO and the CEO both come from private equity and consulting dealmaking

Simola has more than 15 years in finance, over 10 of them in private equity, and is a CFA charterholder. Tuomas Kahri, CEO since 1 April 2026, was previously a partner at McKinsey & Company and Intera Partners. The hire is the first CFO appointment under Kahri.

“Lassi brings to Boreo strong expertise in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He has extensive experience working with small and medium-sized companies and possesses an excellent understanding of the challenges and opportunities these businesses face,” says Tuomas Kahri, CEO of Boreo, in the press release.

Boreo has spent 2026 preparing its balance sheet for acquisitions

Boreo grew 2025 net sales by 14% to EUR 153.3 million and operational EBIT by 17% to EUR 8.0 million, and its board proposed no dividend to strengthen the financial position. The April 2026 AGM approved that proposal. First-half 2026 net sales rose 14% to EUR 84.6 million, operational EBIT rose 21% to EUR 4.3 million, and operating cash flow improved to EUR 3.7 million.

The portfolio is moving in both directions. In July, subsidiary Floby Nya Bilverkstad sold its vehicle painting business Lackmästar'n. On 1 October, Boreo bought technical textiles maker TEXpro for an enterprise value of EUR 1.6 million, paid from existing cash.

“With its strengthened financial position and renewed focus on acquisitions, I believe the company is well positioned to pursue its growth strategy,” says Lassi Simola.

TEXpro, with EUR 1.7 million in net sales, shows the scale of Boreo's deals so far this year. A CFO hired for his acquisition record suggests the board expects that scale to grow.

Columnists

Who will build the next shared vision?

Oct 6, 2026

Currently there appears to be a widespread feeling of rising uncertainty and a lack of a shared vision for the future. During Sweden’s recent election campaign commentators repeatedly asked where the larger visions for the country had gone. Amid promises of quick fixes and tactical positioning, the question of what society we should build seemed harder to answer. Similar examples with voices calling for a new vision have also been heard in the other Nordic countries recently. The most obvious example is perhaps Finnish Sitra that explicitly describes the need for “an inspiring new promise about the future”. 

Considering the turbulent situation in the world in the last decade, it is perhaps not surprising that we find feelings of uncertainty. It is in fact something we could expect if we apply the long-term cyclical perspective of thinkers such as Neil Howe who describes how long cycles shape the characteristics of our societies and how the change from cycle to cycle typically results in crises. Viewed through the ‘wheel of seasons’ model developed by my colleagues Mats Lindgren and Jörgen Jedbratt, our current situation may represent a transition from winter to spring, during which crises will lead to new dominant paradigms. If reality were to follow the model, this should mean that we are slowly shifting towards an increased focus on long-term perspectives and finally also a rising belief in a positive future. 

Another sign of the uncertainty is the rising interest in scenario planning. This is a well-known pattern that goes back to the oil crisis of the 1970s when Shell’s scenario planning rose to fame and it is now perhaps the most familiar tool in the foresight toolbox. There is furthermore a general acceptance of scenario planning as a relevant tool for our time, but if we want to get broad participation and support for changes the map provided by the scenarios also needs to be accompanied by something more visionary.

The Nordic effect

So, if we are approaching a period of renewal maybe it is time to start thinking about how Nordic companies and other organisations could help bring this new future into being and shape it? How can we contribute to the creation of a new vision that can guide and speed up necessary changes so that we can balance sustainability and resilience, productivity and family life, and so on? Even though there exists a joint Nordic vision for 2030 that was adopted by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019 this is apparently not sufficient (and to be honest, how many of you have read it? I have, but that’s more or less required as part of my job). 

Maybe it is safe to say that it is time for a new Nordic vision? And maybe this time we should start the process as soon as possible ourselves in our own organisations so that we together can create small pieces of the great puzzle that would make up a new shared vision.

For boards, this means connecting the vision to investment priorities, capabilities and partnerships, and deciding how the organisation can contribute to a wider Nordic ambition.

Questions we need to answer in this process include:

  1. What future do we want to contribute to over the next ten to fifteen years?

  2. What can we influence? Which partners and capabilities will we need?

  3. What decisions do we need to make?

The last point may seem a bit obvious but as most of us know, foresight without action means nothing. There is in fact even a risk that foresight in some cases could become counterproductive and hinder necessary changes.

Decades ago, Kets de Vries and Miller described how some organisations become trapped in endless studies and analyses without taking action. Today, the abundance of foresight consultants and methods can give this tendency even more room to grow. An organisation may find itself contemplating a million possible futures, watching doors close one by one while trying to identify the perfect course of action. Foresight should help us choose a direction, prepare for different outcomes and move forward. A good analysis that leads to action is better than a perfect analysis that does not.

What's next

Let’s apply the tools from our foresight toolkits and start working! A new shared vision is needed and unless you take part in shaping it someone else will. So, let’s start small in our own organisations and launch processes to formulate our own visions and in this process also define our roles and purpose. This is often best done using collaborative methods – not just for the formulation of the vision but also to get people on board from the start because another thing that we need to remember is this. Scenarios and visions can give us a map of the future. But we still have to make the journey ourselves.

Johan Hammarlund

Collaborative Foresight Advisor, Kairos Future

Johan Hammarlund is a Senior Consultant at Kairos Future, a leading foresight and strategy consultancy that for more than 30 years has helped organisations anticipate change, explore future opportunities, and design strategies for long-term success. Johan specialises in collaborative foresight and democratic innovations and is active in professional networks across Sweden, the Nordic region and Europe.

Johan Hammarlund

Nordic Foresight

The Nordic Foresight Network is a network of foresight professionals advancing futures thinking across the Nordic region.

Nordic Foresight Network

Sources 

  1. Mats Lindgren - Winter is Coming or Springtime with Trump, 2016

  2. Kets de Vries and Miller - The Neurotic Organization, 1984

  3. Neil Howe - The Fourth Turning: Why American 'Crisis' May Last Until 2030, 2020

  4. Monteiro and Dal Borgo - Supporting decision making with strategic foresight, 2023

  5. Nordic prime ministers - Our Vision 2030, 2019

  6. Anna Solovjew-Wartiovaara - Sitra Megatrends Report, 2026

Latest on Listeds

Leadership Moves

Boreo names Lassi Simola CFO, ending nearly a year of a split finance function

Oct 6, 2026

Boreo has appointed Lassi Simola, currently Workout and Restructuring Executive at Nordea, as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Group Management Team. He starts no later than 4 January 2027, ending an interim arrangement that has divided the finance role between two people since February.

Boreo brings back a CFO after deciding in February to manage without one

In December 2025, Boreo announced that CFO Jesse Petäjä would step down and said it had started recruiting a successor. In February 2026, it changed course and decided not to appoint a CFO for the time being. Rafael Osmanov became Head of M&A and Financing, and Vice President Finance Sami Hanerva took over financial reporting.

Once Simola starts, Hanerva will report to him in his current role. Osmanov will support the onboarding, and his contract ends by the end of March 2027.

The new CFO and the CEO both come from private equity and consulting dealmaking

Simola has more than 15 years in finance, over 10 of them in private equity, and is a CFA charterholder. Tuomas Kahri, CEO since 1 April 2026, was previously a partner at McKinsey & Company and Intera Partners. The hire is the first CFO appointment under Kahri.

“Lassi brings to Boreo strong expertise in mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He has extensive experience working with small and medium-sized companies and possesses an excellent understanding of the challenges and opportunities these businesses face,” says Tuomas Kahri, CEO of Boreo, in the press release.

Boreo has spent 2026 preparing its balance sheet for acquisitions

Boreo grew 2025 net sales by 14% to EUR 153.3 million and operational EBIT by 17% to EUR 8.0 million, and its board proposed no dividend to strengthen the financial position. The April 2026 AGM approved that proposal. First-half 2026 net sales rose 14% to EUR 84.6 million, operational EBIT rose 21% to EUR 4.3 million, and operating cash flow improved to EUR 3.7 million.

The portfolio is moving in both directions. In July, subsidiary Floby Nya Bilverkstad sold its vehicle painting business Lackmästar'n. On 1 October, Boreo bought technical textiles maker TEXpro for an enterprise value of EUR 1.6 million, paid from existing cash.

“With its strengthened financial position and renewed focus on acquisitions, I believe the company is well positioned to pursue its growth strategy,” says Lassi Simola.

TEXpro, with EUR 1.7 million in net sales, shows the scale of Boreo's deals so far this year. A CFO hired for his acquisition record suggests the board expects that scale to grow.

Columnists

Who will build the next shared vision?

Oct 6, 2026

Currently there appears to be a widespread feeling of rising uncertainty and a lack of a shared vision for the future. During Sweden’s recent election campaign commentators repeatedly asked where the larger visions for the country had gone. Amid promises of quick fixes and tactical positioning, the question of what society we should build seemed harder to answer. Similar examples with voices calling for a new vision have also been heard in the other Nordic countries recently. The most obvious example is perhaps Finnish Sitra that explicitly describes the need for “an inspiring new promise about the future”. 

Considering the turbulent situation in the world in the last decade, it is perhaps not surprising that we find feelings of uncertainty. It is in fact something we could expect if we apply the long-term cyclical perspective of thinkers such as Neil Howe who describes how long cycles shape the characteristics of our societies and how the change from cycle to cycle typically results in crises. Viewed through the ‘wheel of seasons’ model developed by my colleagues Mats Lindgren and Jörgen Jedbratt, our current situation may represent a transition from winter to spring, during which crises will lead to new dominant paradigms. If reality were to follow the model, this should mean that we are slowly shifting towards an increased focus on long-term perspectives and finally also a rising belief in a positive future. 

Another sign of the uncertainty is the rising interest in scenario planning. This is a well-known pattern that goes back to the oil crisis of the 1970s when Shell’s scenario planning rose to fame and it is now perhaps the most familiar tool in the foresight toolbox. There is furthermore a general acceptance of scenario planning as a relevant tool for our time, but if we want to get broad participation and support for changes the map provided by the scenarios also needs to be accompanied by something more visionary.

The Nordic effect

So, if we are approaching a period of renewal maybe it is time to start thinking about how Nordic companies and other organisations could help bring this new future into being and shape it? How can we contribute to the creation of a new vision that can guide and speed up necessary changes so that we can balance sustainability and resilience, productivity and family life, and so on? Even though there exists a joint Nordic vision for 2030 that was adopted by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019 this is apparently not sufficient (and to be honest, how many of you have read it? I have, but that’s more or less required as part of my job). 

Maybe it is safe to say that it is time for a new Nordic vision? And maybe this time we should start the process as soon as possible ourselves in our own organisations so that we together can create small pieces of the great puzzle that would make up a new shared vision.

For boards, this means connecting the vision to investment priorities, capabilities and partnerships, and deciding how the organisation can contribute to a wider Nordic ambition.

Questions we need to answer in this process include:

  1. What future do we want to contribute to over the next ten to fifteen years?

  2. What can we influence? Which partners and capabilities will we need?

  3. What decisions do we need to make?

The last point may seem a bit obvious but as most of us know, foresight without action means nothing. There is in fact even a risk that foresight in some cases could become counterproductive and hinder necessary changes.

Decades ago, Kets de Vries and Miller described how some organisations become trapped in endless studies and analyses without taking action. Today, the abundance of foresight consultants and methods can give this tendency even more room to grow. An organisation may find itself contemplating a million possible futures, watching doors close one by one while trying to identify the perfect course of action. Foresight should help us choose a direction, prepare for different outcomes and move forward. A good analysis that leads to action is better than a perfect analysis that does not.

What's next

Let’s apply the tools from our foresight toolkits and start working! A new shared vision is needed and unless you take part in shaping it someone else will. So, let’s start small in our own organisations and launch processes to formulate our own visions and in this process also define our roles and purpose. This is often best done using collaborative methods – not just for the formulation of the vision but also to get people on board from the start because another thing that we need to remember is this. Scenarios and visions can give us a map of the future. But we still have to make the journey ourselves.

Johan Hammarlund

Collaborative Foresight Advisor, Kairos Future

Johan Hammarlund is a Senior Consultant at Kairos Future, a leading foresight and strategy consultancy that for more than 30 years has helped organisations anticipate change, explore future opportunities, and design strategies for long-term success. Johan specialises in collaborative foresight and democratic innovations and is active in professional networks across Sweden, the Nordic region and Europe.

Johan Hammarlund

Nordic Foresight

The Nordic Foresight Network is a network of foresight professionals advancing futures thinking across the Nordic region.

Nordic Foresight Network

Sources 

  1. Mats Lindgren - Winter is Coming or Springtime with Trump, 2016

  2. Kets de Vries and Miller - The Neurotic Organization, 1984

  3. Neil Howe - The Fourth Turning: Why American 'Crisis' May Last Until 2030, 2020

  4. Monteiro and Dal Borgo - Supporting decision making with strategic foresight, 2023

  5. Nordic prime ministers - Our Vision 2030, 2019

  6. Anna Solovjew-Wartiovaara - Sitra Megatrends Report, 2026

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