What is your current position at Volvo and what do you do in your daily job?
I am currently the Director of Finance for Volvo Financial Services in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. I am based in Moscow, Russia where I am involved in some typical activities for a finance function – creating business plans, following up on the business, setting targets, et ceteraa. I also work with finding ways to fund the businesses in these markets. This includes working with external banks and export credit agencies. Much of the time is naturally spent on decision making for financing Volvo Group customers in our markets.
Working in the Volvo Group has given me a unique opportunity to use my finance background and to be close to the core business. I am involved in many business decisions and I am close to the sales process. Russia is a growing market and I am part of driving and deciding how we develop our organization here. For or instance, how to incentivize our people, developing a governance structure or how to ensure we borrow and lend money in the best way.
Being part of Volvo Financial Services is exciting because we have a lot of external contact, including direct interaction with Volvo Group customers, external banks, and local management for all Volvo companies. I interact with many different stakeholders all across the Volvo Group on a weekly basis. I never know exactly what will happen each day; it is a fast-paced and high-speed environment. The job never gets routine or boring.
Why did you choose Volvo Group as an employer?
I joined the Volvo Group in 2001 through Volvo Aero in Sweden. Then, I started to work with Volvo Financial Services in 2008 in Brussels. I am from Sweden and since I was a child, Volvo has always been one of my favorite companies. It is a truly global company with exciting products. We also have a strong open culture and you can really feel our core values. I appreciate all the opportunities being part of the Volvo Group has brought me. I have been based in Sweden, Poland, Belgium and Russia since I joined. I have worked actively in even more markets.
How has career with the Volvo Group been this far?
I had a good experience when I started with Volvo Financial Services in Brussels in 2008. Our European organization was very new at the time and I had the chance to participate and to build it up in a number of projects. I also really appreciated the opportunity to be Director of Volvo Financial Services’ Central East Region, located in Poland. In that role, I not only handled traditional finance-related tasks, but also managed the business development type of tasks required to set-up new companies in several countries.
The chance to experience working in growing regions has been really exciting – with a lot of interesting projects and interactions with senior management. Having the chance to work in a multi-national environment also provides a great possibility to learn from the cultural perspective. If you are open to new challenges, there are always opportunities available within the Volvo Group.
If you were to recommend Volvo Group as an employer, what would you put forward?
Our culture, our employees, and the size of the company are all reasons I would recommend the Volvo Group. The international aspect of the company is also big attraction. Even if you are Swedish, working at the Volvo Group in Sweden, you are still exposed to the company’s global footprint on a daily basis. And, if you are interested, there are many opportunities to move around and work in different locations.