Kategori: THREE QUICK ONES

3 quick questions for State Secretary Håkan Jevrell at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. His responsibility is foreign trade and promotion. He has previously been Ambassador to Singapore and Brunei and Sweden’s representative in Taiwan. Håkan Jevrell believes that Sri Lanka’s strategic location and skilled workforce are strong assets for the country. His personal favorite in Sri Lanka is Mirissa on the south coast of the island.

How can Swedish companies benefit from Sri Lanka’s strategic location?
Sri Lanka has proven itself over time and is today an important part of strategic, global value chains, not least the country’s growing IT sector with a highly skilled workforce. The country is a hub in many ways. There are several opportunities here for Swedish companies. First, the obvious, to let Sri Lanka be a bridgehead for further establishment in other, nearby markets. Becoming part of the country’s extensive logistics expansion is another way, not least for sea-borne goods. A third way is by moving physical production to Sri Lanka, where the country has a high standard in several industrial sectors.

Sri Lanka is now transforming its energy system in a sustainable direction. What does this mean for Swedish export companies?
The transition of Sri Lanka’s energy system is being carried out with high ambitions, not least in wind power. Sweden and Sri Lanka also have historical ties through previous joint hydropower projects on the island. Then Swedish companies could approach a similar situation as ”teachers”. Now a different approach is needed, one of humility and partnership. Swedish companies can offer competitive solutions, but Sweden is of course not alone. Running fast enough is therefore of crucial importance.

Sweden currently has no Embassy in Colombo. What does this mean for trade relations and how does the Ministry for Foreign Affairs work in this situation?
First, Sweden has an Embassy in Delhi. The work there is led by an Ambassador with extensive experience and knowledge of Sri Lanka. That said, an Embassy is important, but Sweden and Swedish interests are working at many levels to develop and strengthen relations between our two countries. Team Sweden has an important role here. It is a network of authorities and companies that work together to promote Swedish exports and investments in Sweden. We also see that there are good opportunities for Sri Lankan companies to develop relationships in Sweden and for Swedish companies to contribute to the development and make a difference in Sri Lanka.

3 quick questions to Tailor Store’s CEO Magnus Loodberg about tailor-made garments developed and sewn in Sri Lanka. Magnus founded Tailor Store when he was 23 years old after an IT internship in Sri Lanka. He had no background in clothing but understood the potential of offering made-to-measure garments online. The biggest markets today are the US, Switzerland, Germany, France, UK, Australia and the Nordics.

Why Sri Lanka?
During my internship, I had made friends on the island that I trusted. They introduced me to more people. I was always treated very well. Everyone was engaged and wanted to learn. 20 years later, we have 500 employees in Sri Lanka and two factories in a subsidiary.

How do you work on the management of the business?
We have an all-Lankan management team. Loyalty and the desire to contribute to a better country permeate the management culture. We have weekly meetings and travel regularly to Sri Lanka. The production process has evolved a lot since the beginning but always based on the basic idea of offering a perfect individual fit at a reasonable price. Today, the production process is highly automated. Every member of the production team has a tablet at their working station with information about the individual garment to be sewn.

What advice would you give to anyone planning a manufacturing operation in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lankans are friendly and accommodating. Therefore, initially find a reliable person who speaks the language. This person can act as your sounding board. At the same time, establishment takes time. Therefore, be patient but make demands and work with deadlines. We did everything from scratch. First, we bought land and then we built the two factories. It proved to work very well mainly due to that we found the right person from the start.

3 quick ones to Kerstin Thulin new board member of SSLBC. She has a long international career in leading positions within IT, telecom, and shipping. Kerstin has worked in Sri Lanka, Oman, India, and several African countries.  

What is your relationship with Sri Lanka?

I first came to Sri Lanka in 1983 when I had the opportunity to adopt one of my daughters. It was an overwhelming experience during the burning civil war. In 1996, I was asked to help set up the telecom company Suntel in Sri Lanka with responsibility for HR, organization and culture. It was an intense two years where I got to meet a competent and language-savvy workforce. Many years later, I was asked to sit on the board of the Sri Lankan Children’s Association (SLBV), supporting vulnerable children and young people to make a difference in their lives and futures.

What are your driving forces?

Basically, I am a curious and stubborn entrepreneur. I have a curiosity for people and cultures – not only corporate culture. I want to help build value-driven organizations, which has been a common thread throughout my career. When I started my career, the HR function was relatively obscure, reporting to the Chief Financial Officer. A lot has happened since then. I have sat on several management teams of international telecom companies with responsibility for HR and Organization. Modern organizations need to value culture and organizational issues as business critical. There is no alternative.

What do you want to contribute to the work of the board?

I hope to contribute with my many years of experience within IT and telecom. Sri Lanka has a growing high-end IT sector. Too few in the Swedish business community are aware of this. I want to help raise awareness, both of the sector specifically and of Sri Lanka in general. I also hope to share my experience of developing corporate cultures and value-driven organizations with our members in various ways.

What is your relationship with Sri Lanka?

I first came to Sri Lanka in 1983 when I had the opportunity to adopt one of my daughters. It was an overwhelming experience during the burning civil war. In 1996, I was asked to help set up the telecom company Suntel in Sri Lanka with responsibility for HR, organization and culture. It was an intense two years where I got to meet a competent and language-savvy workforce. Many years later, I was asked to sit on the board of the Sri Lankan Children’s Association (SLBV), supporting vulnerable children and young people to make a difference in their lives and futures.

What are your driving forces?

Basically, I am a curious and stubborn entrepreneur. I have a curiosity for people and cultures – not only corporate culture. I want to help build value-driven organizations, which has been a common thread throughout my career. When I started my career, the HR function was relatively obscure, reporting to the Chief Financial Officer. A lot has happened since then. I have sat on several management teams of international telecom companies with responsibility for HR and Organization. Modern organizations need to value culture and organizational issues as business critical. There is no alternative.

What do you want to contribute to the work of the board?

I hope to contribute with my many years of experience within IT and telecom. Sri Lanka has a growing high-end IT sector. Too few in the Swedish business community are aware of this. I want to help raise awareness, both of the sector specifically and of Sri Lanka in general. I also hope to share my experience of developing corporate cultures and value-driven organizations with our members in various ways.

3 quick questions to Håkan Lord, CEO of SoftOne Group, about IT development in Sri Lanka. SoftOne is a Swedish software company that offers a cloud based SaaS business system. The company was founded in 1985 by Håkan Lord, who is still the CEO. Two years ago, SoftOne acquired a company with operations in Sri Lanka. Today, SoftOne has a growing development team in Sri Lanka and is a member of the SSLBC.

What is your overall experience of working with Sri Lanka?

We soon realized what a golden nugget we had acquired. The competence of our Sri Lankan colleagues is very high. This also applies to language skills. Everyone speaks superb English. Recruitment is relatively easy, and loyalty is strong – the relationships created are long term. Multiculturalism is evident and an asset, as is the fact that the country is a democracy and has a distinct soul. It is also easy to combine business with pleasure – Sri Lanka is a great place to visit.

How do you work with the development team in Sri Lanka?

It is our tech team that is situated in Sri Lanka. The team works together with our three development teams in Sweden and Finland. This division works very well. The team in Sri Lanka does not need to have knowledge of specific domain areas such as payroll or tax. The long term ambition is to integrate our teams more. This is important so that we can constantly refine our technology.

What are the objectives for the Sri Lankan operation? We will develop it step by step. The long term ambition is to have two to three teams in Sri Lanka. We will also strengthen the integration between the operations in Sweden, Finland and in Sri Lanka. This means, among other things, that some of our Swedish developers are planning to travel to Sri Lanka this fall to work from there for a period. We are clearly on the same level and work towards common goals.