How would you briefly describe your background and yourself as a person?
I studied both economics and law at Lund University. After graduating, I worked at an auditing firm and later became CFO at a company specializing in laboratory technology. I then moved on to Egmont Publishing, where I worked with finance, including the travel magazine Vagabond.
For the past 17 years, I’ve worked at Lund University, and today I serve as the administrative manager for the CGB office – the joint administration for INES and Geology. My first assignment when I joined the university was to merge the administrative functions of INES and Geology into one unit. What we are doing now with MGeo is similar, but on a much larger scale.
As the new administrative manager – what issues will you focus on in the first year?
One of the key challenges is bringing together different cultures. It’s important to understand how best to approach and integrate these cultures. Even though administration often follows structured routines, there’s still room to adapt workflows in different ways. I’ve already seen this in several areas – how tasks are organized varies, and each approach has its strengths.
The goal is to identify the golden nuggets in each setup – the things that work really well. We’ve spent the spring mapping out processes, and much of that work has come from the top down. Now it’s time for our administrative colleagues to help shape the future. How do we want to work going forward? We’re currently in the middle of that process. It’s about making sure everyone ends up in a role where they thrive.
We’ve recently appointed a new head of finance, and we’re in the process of recruiting a manager for facilities and IT. Next, we’ll define the different teams and functions.
What opportunities and challenges do you see for the new department?
There are already areas within administration where new collaboration is happening, where individuals previously have been working alone in their roles at separate departments. For example, there’s been one study administrator at Geology and one at CEC. By bringing people together, we create a context where colleagues can exchange ideas, support each other, and work more closely. Having colleagues to bounce ideas off of and share responsibilities with makes a big difference. It also provides backup and strengthens the team.
Of course, merging different cultures and personalities can sometimes be challenging. We’ll need to create opportunities to meet and connect – lots of fika breaks! Even now, just by sharing the lunchroom between INES and Geology, you can feel a difference. There’s a new kind of interaction happening, and it’s incredibly positive.
What feels most exciting about the new job?
I really enjoy working with change. Even though I’ve been at the university for many years, I’ve never found my job boring – there’s always something new to tackle. I like when change comes from within the group, as much as possible.
The university has clear guidelines for what we need to deliver, but the path to get there is often not defined. Sometimes I get frustrated that we don’t receive a ready-made roadmap from central administration – that we’re all reinventing the wheel. But the truth is, those wheels already exist – both at the CGB office and at CEC.
I enjoy looking at the bigger picture and identifying what works well across different departments. I’ll admit I can be a bit of a nerd about it. We’re constantly tweaking and exploring new ways of working to make things better. It’s all part of the ongoing development work.