Interview with Stig Tornell

That's right. After Mekonomen, I actually gave interim consulting a try myself. The plan was to do assignments from Jan-May, then take 3 months off for the summer, and then work again from Sep-Dec. But then it turned into just 6 months at Lloyds Apotek, and after that, I was recruited to be the permanent Commercial Manager. (For just over a year now, Stig has been the CEO of Doz Apotek, formerly Lloyds Apotek).

At Doz, we've been working with interim consultants since day one. There have been loads of benefits. Sometimes you just need someone temporarily, so you bring in a consultant to see how things pan out; is the financial outcome good enough, are we moving in the right direction? Sometimes you end up needing to make that person a permanent hire, and other times you just thank them for a fantastic job and realize you don't need to hire them long-term. Right now, we have about 3-4 interim consultants, which is almost 10% of our head office team. Most assignments typically last between 6-12 months.

Finance is definitely the easiest. Basically, the systems and analyses work in exactly the same way no matter where you are. The trickiest part is the commercial side and those kinds of roles. Business models, suppliers, and so on, can vary so much. That role is tough to fill with an interim. It's also harder in a line role. Plus, it can be challenging for employees to have an interim manager for a long time. You just don't get the same continuity or build the same relationships, you know? (Unless the interim consultant sticks around for a while).

The good thing about interim consultants is that they come in with a certain mindset. They're open-minded, but also super focused. They define and confirm their role, and then they just get to work. The downside can be that they don't really develop the role, but 'just' deliver on the specific assignment.

It really depends a lot on the person who comes in. The company needs to treat them like a regular employee. Make sure they're invited to the Christmas party, after-work events, and attend meetings that might sometimes feel 'unnecessary'. That's super important if they're going to fit into a line organization. If it's just an isolated project, then it's a different story.

They pretty much work the same way. We're in the middle of a huge transformation where the whole industry is shifting towards e-commerce. My impression is that most companies operate similarly. You need to make sure the role is sustainable, and once it is, you'll want a permanent person in it. If you realize it's not working out, then you need to rethink and find a different approach.

I think a lot of companies are in a similar spot to us right now; it's a unique time, and you just don't know where things are going. There's uncertainty with cost trends, energy prices, rents, salaries, and so on. It's a balancing act between how many permanent hires you want and how much you want to boost with interim solutions. But I definitely believe the demand for interim solutions will go up. The main challenge for interim companies is to match that demand with more 'tailored' interim solutions. For instance, a marketing role can differ hugely between companies and needs to be even more customized to each business's specific needs.

The biggest challenge this year is balancing revenues and costs. It's just so hard to predict. Daring to invest just the right amount in this current economy is going to be the toughest part.