Anders Österberg, Deputy Managing Director at Sparbanken Skåne, highlights the clear rooting in reality and the concept of assembling a team around each participant as key reasons for choosing Leading IMPACT – Executive Management & Leadership Program, which Anna Quist from his organization will be taking in October.
Leading IMPACT is an executive management program specializing in strategic leadership, business development and innovative thinking. The program sticks out due to its strong focus on working through the participants’ real-world business challenges and putting their entire organization – not merely the individual participant – front and center. Anders Österberg, Deputy Managing Director at Sparbanken Skåne, shares his hopes and what he sees as the program’s great advantages as Anna Quist, Product & Process Manager at Sparbanken Skåne, is about to take the program.
Hello Anders. Please tell us about Sparbanken Skåne’s experience of EFL.
Sparbanken Skåne has experience working with EFL for at least 20 years. This collaboration has included everything from individual employees taking various programs to strategic work with the bank’s management. Just over a year ago, the bank held a one-year leadership program for all the bank’s managers that was run by EFL. EFL has consistently shown great professionalism in interactions with us and the foundation’s work has been well prepared and added significant value for both the individual participants and the bank at large.
You also took the EFL Corporate Governance program, right?
That’s right, I took the EFL Corporate Governance program (EFL:s Styrelseprogram) around 10 years ago. I benefited greatly from the program, both in the board positions I’ve held and in my role at the bank.
Now Anna Quist, Product & Process Manager at Sparbanken Skåne, will take Leading IMPACT. What made you choose our program in particular?
A particularly key factor was the clear rooting in reality – that the participants will focus to a great degree on challenges they face daily in their professional lives. This is a program you take because you want to develop – not because you want to add a cool degree to your CV. I also like the concept of assembling a team around each participant with a clear mission to assist, support and challenge. This structure will ensure solid results from the program.
What do you hope Anna and Sparbanken Skåne will get out of Leading IMPACT?
Anna works in an industry that is both highly conservative and undergoing dramatic and rapid change in several areas. Old truths no longer apply, and the bank must be very quick to identify new trends, learn all about them and implement them internally and externally. Anna’s role is key in the bank’s development and change efforts. I think Leading IMPACT will give Anna new tools and perspectives from other industries that will help her, and thus the bank, refine our business. Just as in other EFL programs, Anna will build a network and gain contacts that will be highly beneficial to her for a long time to come.