Karin has a solid academic background as a researcher. For most of her career, she has worked as a business-oriented leader. Take part in Karin's interesting perspective.
You combine a solid academic research background with business-minded leadership. How do you succeed with that, and what are your success factors?
The short answer is actually a genuine interest in both of these areas. To elaborate a bit, after leaving my own research, I had the privilege of working with business development and sales to researchers in the industry. That's when I discovered that business and leadership were also really interesting and fun, and since then I've held positions that have both of these components. It is important for me that there is a scientific basis around the business itself, which means that I often end up in knowledge-intensive business areas where I greatly benefit from knowing how research is conducted, even if I am of course not a specialist in any research area these days. Succeeding as a leader also requires a great deal of humility and joy in being part of a larger context that contributes to something really good. Being open to change and daring to break new ground have also been important success factors in my roles as a leader.

What can the business world learn from the research world, and vice versa?
The business world and the research world within universities have completely different conditions, which is also reflected in governance and leadership. But there are also some similarities, such as the importance of being a driven and persistent leader and believing in yourself. The clear organizational structure, goal management and follow-up in the business world have their advantages, and parts of this could be used more within the research world/universities. From a leadership perspective, the system applied within universities with collegial appointments to certain leading positions is exciting, which in the best case leads to strong anchoring and participation.

What are the biggest challenges in leading a historic organization like the Swedish Pharmaceutical Society?
The biggest challenge is to constantly ensure that we take care of the right things from our fantastic history and ensure that we develop these to be a relevant player with an offering that is at the absolute forefront. It is a challenge, but the opportunities we have are many and it is very stimulating to be a part of this and see that it gives results.