Sweden’s only magazine bout business history Företagshistoria gets a new editor-in-chief and updated form. The new editor is word smith and form enthusiast Anders Landén.
Hi Anders, who are you?
– I am a 36-year-old story junkie, from Stockholm, but still branded by my youth in Mattmar, Jämtland. I have worked at the Centre for Business History for two years and before that has ran my own agency and was also involved in setting up a customer magazine department at Upsala Nya Tidning. During the past year, at the Centre for Business History, I have worked with a book about Clas Ohlson and one about the industrial design company A&E DESIGN. This fall, I’m working on exciting projects for Mäklarsamfundet and SF Studios.
What do you bring the new job as editor for Företagshistoria from your previous experiences?
– I believe in the power of people and stories. That will be the perspective of the magazine and I am, although some may find it difficult to believe, quite good at listening. I am ready to take the extra steps needed to find good solutions, stories and know what difference it makes to pull everything one extra round, just when you thought you were done.
How are you going to develop Företagshistoria going forward?
– – The outgoing editor-in-chief Sara Johansson has done a great job with the magazine and in many ways I will just pick up where she leaves off. Företagshistoria will continue to tell stories about Swedish companies, products and phenomena and their impact on us and on society. However, the magazine will be a little thicker, with more pages. We will also write more about marketing and how companies of today can use their history to become stronger as a brand.
Who is your favorite entrepreneur?
– -All business executives who also dare to show that they are human beings. That humanity, combined with companies and products, is what gives businesses a beating heart. On a personal level, I am impressed by the self-employed. Those who choose to work their butt off in order to realize their dreams. Near me there are many of those heroes, that may have toddlers, barely a home, and even a functioning economy. Despite all that, they have opted out of the traditional 9-5 job security. They almost erase themselves on order to grow their ideas into businesses. It’s amazing that they can handle all the different roles of the self-employed. They chose to be their own as an outlet for a dream, whether it was writing songs, drawing houses, making furniture or producing film. What they got, as part of that bargain, were things they probably never considered, as bookkeeping, employment responsibilities, request-for-proposals, hourly billing and marketing. They rarely have another option than solving all them by themselves. Still, they can’t help but do their thing. Impressive.
Please contact the new editor-in-chief Anders Landén if you have any thoughts, tips or ideas for the magazine Företagshistoria. We look forward to the new issue!
