Kristian is a Swedish serial entrepreneur and senior management consultant, with a double degree in Executive MBA and computer science. Kristian has gathered experience in innovation and business from a large number of industries and companies of all sizes over the last 20 years. As co-founder of the consultant firm LEAPS, is he now helping customers to understand how the industries that the customers are operating in is evolving, how to stay relevant and competitive under those circumstances, and how to set up an innovation process to secure reoccurring innovations in line with the company’s strategy.
Introduce yourself. Who is Kristian?
I am 43 years old and live with my wife and my son of six years, in a small town in southern Sweden called Växjö. I have a background in IT, but also have an executive MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics. I have worked as a consultant for 20 years in all different kinds of industries and with companies of all sizes. Through this work, I have gathered experience extremely valuable when I work with my customers. Now, however, I work mostly data-driven and try to teach my customers to do the same. This means that we look at behaviors and numbers to understand how the world works today so that successful innovations can be developed, instead of, like many, just making assumptions about what works.
You work at LEAPS as a Senior Management Consultant. What is LEAPS, and what are you doing?
LEAPS is a consulting company employing the founders, three innovation experts, who help their clients to create innovative organizations. We see that many industries are facing a major change and that many of the companies in these industries have no way of creating recurring innovation, so there is an imminent risk that they will go into reconstruction, bankruptcy, or be acquired cheaply. Therefore, many companies are in desperate need to be able to create recurring innovations and we help out with that. We create a process where the organization can continuously capture ideas and create innovations.
You have led several "Light House Projects." What is that?
Lighthouse projects are projects that serve as a guiding light for an organization when it's in transformation. It acts as a template, and other parts of the organization can look at how they did in the "Lighthouse project" to manage the organization to transform and thus get tips and structural capital.
You have also lectured a lot. What are you lecturing on, who is the lecture aimed at?
I lecture widely within the innovation space, as I see it as my mission to make Sweden more innovative. I lecture at universities, for business organizations, and in open lectures for companies. Education is also part of my consultancy services, as I coach and train companies or individuals at companies in innovation tools and processes.
What is it with innovation that attracts so much?
In the world we live in, which is developing so fast, innovation is a must for virtually all organizations. Many organizations have arisen with an individual innovation or that they have exploited a supply deficit, and since then, they have exploited that innovation or opportunity. That is no longer sufficient. You need to innovate continuously to survive and very few organizations have that ability, so I want to help them so that they can continue to exist and be profitable.
Do you have a particular dream job?
I have my dream job now. I make individuals and organizations more innovative. It's great fun to work with companies that are trying to create new things. At LEAPS, we also work in various state-funded projects at a much lower hourly rate so that startups and new entrepreneurs have the opportunity to gain from our experience and competence, which is very stimulating.
What will you be able to contribute? What can our readers expect from the content you will provide?
I try to help readers by educating them on different tools, understanding the challenges of innovation, and how to create a process that provides recurring innovations.
Stay tuned for Kristian's upcoming articles!
