Courage and competence for change and development with the Executive MBA degree

Mia Bökmark doesn’t hesitate to take on challenges. As VP Product Offer & Innovation at Seco Tools, she is responsible for extensive change management and business development. “I wouldn’t have taken on this role without having completed the Executive MBA programme,” she says, particularly emphasizing the understanding she gained of both the bigger picture and the various specialized functions, as well as the value of the exchange with the others in the group.

In 2015, after a few years as a factory manager at SKF, Mia Bökmark wanted to build on her master’s degree in engineering with further competencies. Therefore, she applied to the Executive MBA programme at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg.

“You can develop by changing professional roles. Then you learn that particular guild. But I was looking to broaden my scope. The Executive MBA programme contains so much, and as a participant, you advance a lot in a relatively short time. I appreciated the structure of the programme, with different modules that follow a common thread and build a comprehensive whole.”

Deepened leadership
When Mia Bökmark started the Executive MBA programme, she already had a great interest in and several years of experience in leadership. Despite this, she found the leadership modules very rewarding.

“I gained an even deeper understanding of the subject and was also able to conduct quite in-depth self-analyses. Life and the experiences it brings change you and your personality develops. Therefore, you need to update both your competencies and your self-image regularly. I received confirmation of what I was doing right in my leadership, as well as awareness of what I could improve.”

Valuable and long-lasting exchange
But what Mia Bökmark emphasizes most when talking about the Executive MBA programme is the group works, the community and the exchange with the others in the group.

“When I attended the programme, my own experience was mainly based on many years of work at SKF. In discussions with the other participants, I learned a lot about how other companies in various industries operate. That provided a broad knowledge base that I benefit from now. Additionally, I made friends for life. We still keep in close contact and help each other in our different challenges. That is incredibly valuable.”

Fostering dialogue and understanding
Since the autumn of 2022, Mia Bökmark has been VP Product Offer & Innovation at Seco Tools. When she took on the role, her tasks included merging two departments into one, developing internal collaboration, and strengthening the business mindset. Over the course of a few months, she met with all the approximately 400 employees involved.

“I wanted to see what we actually do and listen to the individuals. This meant a lot of interviews and discussions, meetings with a wide variety of professions, and traveling to seven countries and even more facilities. In that work, I benefited greatly from what I gained from the Executive MBA programme, precisely because it was about familiarising myself with many different parts of the business. I had a broad and solid foundation, understood the key figures, knew what was reasonable to question, and how the different parts affected each other. I also had enough knowledge of the various specialist areas to engage in fruitful dialogues. In those moments, the experiences from the programme and from the collaboration with the other participants meant a lot. And they still do

Challenging the management team
Seco Tools is part of Sandvik and one of the world’s largest suppliers of tools and solutions for milling, turning and hole machining to industry.

“We have 30,000 standard products and 40,000 special products,” says Mia Bökmark.

The company’s headquarters have been in Fagersta, Västmanland, since its founding in 1932. The employees are rightly very proud of their company, and the corporate culture is characterized by a strong family spirit, which according to Mia Bökmark, brings both strengths and challenges. The latter are part of what she is working to shed light on and change. Along the way, her area of responsibility has expanded with another function, Special Products, and the chairmanship of Seco India.

In addition, Seco Tools’ management team is also exposed to Mia Bökmark’s scrutinizing gaze.

“I am asked to be a driving force in our change work and push for faster and bolder decisions, so I question a lot, based on my background and experience. I receive continuous confirmation that I should continue doing this, which I appreciate. I have a very fun and exciting job. But I wouldn’t have taken it on without the Executive MBA programme.”

Mia Bökmark

For more information on the Gothenburg Executive MBA programme, see www.guexed.com or contact:

Håkan Ericson, CEO
hakan.ericson@handels.gu.se, +46 709 50 63 35

Henrik Schröder, Sales & Business development manager
henrik.schroder@handels.gu.se, +46 705 16 76 55