Nordic leadership

Listeds met with Ulrika Björkstam to discuss resilience, a skill that can be developed at both the individual and organizational levels. Based on her work with Nordic executive teams, low organizational resilience tends to surface in recurring patterns. Read more »

For many Nordic executives, the sauna is more than a wellness ritual. Finnish Sauna Society member Hanna Pakarinen — also known as the winner of the first season of Idols — frames the sauna not as leisure but as a structured environment that enables busy people to decompress, recalibrate, and connect.  Read more »

Leadership fashions rarely move in straight lines. Our discussion with Sami Itani, professor of practice at Aalto University School of Business, suggests they may once again be shifting away from three decades of soft, empathetic management and toward a harder style built on clarity, accountability, and performance. Read more »

In Helsinki this November, the startup world once again convened under the LED glow of Messukeskus. Slush, the Helsinki-based annual startup event often described as the largest founder-focused gathering in the world, brought together over 13,000 attendees, including investors with more than USD4 trillion in assets under management. Yet amid the buzz of pitch decks and caffeine, its CEO, 26-year-old Aino Bergius, moved with studied calm. Read more »

Niko Pakalén, a partner at Cevian Capital, compares the Finnish and Swedish economies and leadership cultures, calling for bolder moves and structural changes. Read more »

Annakerttu Aranko, CEO of the Helsinki-based strategy consultancy Noren, has built her company around a simple but unusual premise: understanding business through the lens of human sciences to advise some of Finland’s leading listed companies. Read more »