IT and telecoms - a prerequisite for societal development

The future of the IT and telecoms industry looks bright. But it is also binding. This is the opinion of Pär Fors, who has started his second year as chairman of IT&Telecomföretagen.

- "I've worked in the industry for a long time and I'm amazed at how important IT and telecom companies have become to the world around us over the years. But it has also meant that companies have become more responsible," says Pär Fors.

Recently, the Allbright Foundation released its annual report on the number of senior women in listed companies. It shows that the proportion of female CEOs has never been as high as it is today. Nevertheless, the IT and telecom industry can do more. For Pär Fors, gender equality is an important issue, which has also paved his way onto the board. His first contact with IT&Telekomföretagen was through the Womentor leadership program, which aims to increase gender equality in the industry.

Diversity - a natural part of the skills agenda

- A high-performing team requires diversity. Women are an obvious part of this. In fact, gender equality, or diversity for that matter, is an obvious part of the competence issue.

In the future, one challenge will be to achieve a welfare system that can cope with demographic changes, with an ageing population. The public sector and healthcare are in need of change and digitalization. But even large companies that have been around for decades need to take it into account.

- The biggest obstacle is not technology, it's old ways of working. Very wide paved roads must be broken up to find new tracks that lead to improvement, says Pär Fors and continues:

- Citizens, governments and businesses alike need to change their behavior to create a society that can keep up. There are actors who have a technological debt and they do not have it easy. You can't just shove a new system into an old one.

Digitalization brings new demands for security and privacy

Ensuring security and privacy is a prerequisite for accessing new technologies and benefiting from digitalization. These are issues that have become topical in recent years.

- Here, the industry is willing to take responsibility. Otherwise, the risk is that the technology pessimists will win, but then authorities also need to gain control over their data. It's not just about new technology, but also about governance.

Pär Fors is hopeful about the new year. With a new board, secretariat and director, he hopes for new energy.

- IT&Telecom companies can help prevent society from clinging to the old for fear of the new. But the concerns that exist should not be belittled either. What is needed is a sober debate with mature reasoning. This will create the conditions for the industry to benefit society as a whole," says Pär Fors.