Erlend Stefansson: The leader who changes course - and gets people on board
What do you do when a company has lost direction, margins are under pressure and employees are groping for a common way forward?
You call Erlend Stefansson.
Because when restructuring is urgent, the structure falters and the results fail to materialize, few have more experience with taking command – and at the same time getting people on board – than Erlend.
A leader with impact – and trust
Erlend Stefansson is not one to wait for things to sort themselves out. He started his career at McKinsey and has since been a top executive in companies such as Komplett Group, Arcus and Ringnes. With over 25 years of experience at the intersection of strategy, commercialization and organizational development, he has a rare ability to take action – and take it quickly.
But he doesn't do it alone. First step in any change journey? He talks to people. Listens. Interprets the signals in the culture. And builds a clear direction that everyone understands and believes in.
– It all starts with the people. If you are to succeed with change, you must understand both the head and the heart of the organization, he says.
From IPOs to turnaround
Throughout his career, Erlend has led everything from IPOs and M&A processes to commercial turnarounds. He has been at the center of the restructuring of production at Arcus, streamlined the sales organization at Ringnes, and recently taken Komplett Services – with 370 employees and 8 billion in turnover – through a comprehensive strategic restructuring.
In the course of a few months, he cut less profitable product areas, sharpened the brand, rigged the organization – and reversed the trend. The results were not long in coming.
It is this dedication that makes Erlend the interim manager you call when it truly matters.
Structure meets strength
He describes himself as a blend of impatient and analytical. He wants to see progress – but always with a well-founded plan. He is clear and honest in his communication, and he handles resistance with the same composure as he builds teams: through dialogue and respect.
He puts it this way:
– I don't believe in authoritarian leadership. I believe in direction. When people know where we are going, they can also help find the way there.
He dislikes bureaucracy and has little time for what he calls 'organizational games and politics'. He prefers openness and decisiveness – and builds trust by delivering, not promising.
An interim manager for demanding assignments
With experience from several markets – including Germany, the USA and the entire Nordic region – Erlend also knows how to adapt leadership to different cultures. He has worked closely with trade unions, led large and small teams, and knows what it takes to build bridges between operations and strategy, between the boardroom and the production floor.
He has been chairman and board member in both large corporations and smaller companies, and thrives in roles where he can connect strategy to action – and make things happen.
Who is Erlend suitable for?
Erlend Stefansson is the interim manager for you who:
– Needs to turn around a business unit or an entire company
– Is preparing for growth after an acquisition or merger
– Needs to strengthen the commercial engine of the organization
– Wants a leader who not only talks strategy – but implements it
He is equally at home in the boardroom, in leadership meetings and in the warehouse. And he always leaves behind something more than results: an organization that understands the direction and recognizes the power of pulling together.
Do you want a leader who both has the ability and dares to set a new course? Erlend Stefansson is ready.
