Rikard Johansson

Hello CEO: Rikard Johansson, Sunstone

Hello CEO vitecherupp
Our 1400 members range from small start-ups with few employees to large multinationals with thousands of employees around the world. Under the banner "Hello CEO", we gather their views on the recent past and their thoughts on the future. Rikard Johansson is the CEO of Sunstone.

How would you sum up the pandemic so far from your organization's perspective?

- There was uncertainty about how we would be affected when the impact of the pandemic started to be felt in Sweden. Many companies in our industry were affected by reduced demand and assignments being canceled or not extended. However, we quickly realized that our assignments were continuing, albeit with changed working methods. Sunstone's customers chose to retain our experienced consultants who hold key positions in the projects they work on," says Rikard Johansson and continues:

- We changed our approach very quickly. Customer demands, staff requests and the company's own assessment all came together, so there was no hesitation. We moved to working from home as a general rule. This was made possible by the fact that Sunstone employees were already used to working some of their time remotely and using the various digital tools needed to do so. With the benefit of hindsight from a long time with the pandemic, we can say that it worked well.

- An exception to the rule has been the implementation of summer jobs according to Sunstone's well-established concept, where a small team led by Sunstone employees works together in our office. We deemed it absolutely necessary to have the team together, so after careful consideration and with anchoring in the team, we have had it also in 2020 and 2021. It has worked well by everyone following advice and recommendations.

What lessons have you learned and what will you take away?

- We note that Sunstone's employees are well prepared for and positively disposed to the way of working we estimate will apply after the pandemic, with continued large elements of remote work. They are flexible and motivated to adapt to new conditions.

- We have realized that it is important to think about having established forms of regular contact with all employees and to actively ask how they are doing. It is also necessary to consider that everyone should have a good environment for work, wherever it is carried out.

- Changes in working life driven by the pandemic will have a major impact on how and where we work in the future, which in turn will lead to changing requirements for both premises and how we create and maintain cohesion and engagement in the company. There is an obvious need to meet physically and we need to ensure that this can happen in a safe environment that employees are comfortable with. This is important both for those who are already well established in the business and those who are new to Sunstone and our customers.

What benefits have you seen from membership of IT&Telecom during the crisis?

- I have appreciated having information compiled and targeted specifically for our industry, providing insight into how the market has been affected and what support opportunities are available. It has also been good that IT&Telecom companies have brought forward the message of the importance of the industry for Sweden, both in terms of dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic and its large and growing part of the economy.

Looking ahead, how do you see the near future; what are your priority issues/focus areas?

- There are two issues. One is to manage well the time left with the impact of the pandemic on business and to prepare for the changed reality ahead. It's about keeping the adjustments we've made for as long as they are needed and recognizing that we will do things differently after the pandemic.

- The second is to take advantage of the high level of optimism and demand in our industry, by successfully balancing new and extended assignments with attracting more skilled and committed staff.

What are the two most important messages you want to send to our policymakers ahead of the 2022 elections?

- Show a positive attitude towards private enterprise and highlight its importance. Talk about the need for good business conditions that motivate and facilitate all kinds of companies to establish and develop their business. Back it up with concrete proposals.

- Analyze how the various business support schemes used during the pandemic have worked and prepare for the next time similar support is needed. They need to be designed in such a way that businesses can actually benefit from the support and managed efficiently so that businesses that are entitled to support receive it quickly.