In her spare time, you'll probably find her in the crowd at a football game, on the running tracks, or completely absorbed by an exciting book. On August 1st, she took over the role of Flex's new CEO. Say hello to Jane Lundgren Ericsson!
First and foremost, a warm welcome to Flex! How has your initial period been?
My initial period has been intense and a lot of fun, I've received such a warm welcome from everyone! But being new to everything is quite energy-draining, so I can say I dozed off early on the couch on the first Friday evening.
Understandable! We've (somewhat sadly) come from a rather rainy summer – how did you spend your vacation?
I spent my summer vacation at our countryside retreat in Norrbotten, more specifically in the Luleå archipelago, as my husband is from there. We had rain for a few days in the middle of the vacation, but during that time, we took a trip to Skellefteå and attended a music festival. So, we had quite a bit of sun at the beginning and end of the vacation, so I’m actually rather pleased. 
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
I come from Tumba, which is about 25 kilometers south of Stockholm. Today, I live in Enskede, one of the nearest suburban areas. The neighborhood was built between 1900-1930, so my house is turning 100 years old this year. I'm married and have two children: a 23-year-old daughter who is studying political science and has moved out, and a 19-year-old son who has just started compulsory military service.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I wish I could say "gardening" because I love English wild gardens, but I don’t have green thumbs, and such a garden requires much more gardening talent than it looks. I'm also a football enthusiast and serve as the chairman of a medium-sized football club in my area, so a portion of my free time goes into that. Additionally, I do a lot of running and participate in spinning classes and other workouts at SATS. I'm also part of a book club, so I do quite a bit of reading. To cap off the week, I attend a line dancing class with a friend on Sunday evenings.
Would you like to share a bit about your professional background and how your experiences relate to your role as CEO here at Flex?
I hold a Swedish Master of Laws and an English master's degree in financial law. I started my career as a lawyer in the financial sector, specifically at a state-owned financial institution promoting Swedish exports. I stayed there for a long time in various roles and was part of the executive management team for most of that time. In my last four years there, I was responsible for the company's entire customer operations and lending.
I've worked on selling complex financial solutions to both Swedish and international counterparts, as well as leading sales departments, including business development and customer support. Given my extensive time in the executive management team, I've been involved in most areas of a company.
For several years, I've also served on the board of directors of a Swedish bank, SBAB Bank, and in a forthcoming industrial company called Copperstone, which has applied for permission to open a copper mine in Kiruna. I joined the Visma group in 2019 as a board member of a financial company that Visma had initiated. I was quickly employed there instead, and for the past 18 months, I've been the CEO of that company. I also sit on the board of several companies within the Visma group, and I believe this can help Flex better leverage all that the Visma group has to offer.
What would you say distinguishes a good leader?
Humility, good communication skills, commitment, and honesty. Lots of new things at the beginning, of course – where’s your focus during your first hundred days?
My focus will be understanding the company, its business model, what drives sales, our customers, our product – and last but not least, getting to know all the employees!
It sounds like an exciting hundred days – best of luck in your role as Flex's CEO, Jane!
