Johan Segergren and Stefan Wikström are a dynamic duo in HR-Sweden who met at fast-growing Proffice IT in the late 90s. A month before September 11, 2001, they established Wise Consulting AB, which would become Sweden's first slightly larger and organized consulting company within HR with the motto "Business-driven HR". After being acquired in 2005, they were part of a fantastic growth journey in what would become Wise Group AB, a company characterized by rapid organic and acquired growth with a strong culture as the foundation of the business. Since the spring of 2019, they now run Andpartners Nordic AB (& Partners in daily speech) with a focus on People & Business Excellence and Leadership Management. The company has had a strong start in HR-Consulting, HR-Search and Executive Advice. The dynamic duo has many plans for the future and a strong belief in the connection between ambitious HR work and successful and sustainable business.

You both have extensive experience in starting companies and growing them into successful businesses. Now you are doing it again through &Partners. What are the biggest lessons you have learned, and how can you use them to make your company grow sustainably?

There is a key where we have really lived as we learn and that is to never be careless with the recruitment of employed consultants as well as partners. We want to find those who show a genuine commitment, a curiosity and a strong desire to contribute to succeed together. Another lesson is that challenges are a natural part of your everyday life as a manager or entrepreneur, accept them – look at them from the outside – discuss and consult – act, preferably at a fairly high speed. It has been a successful formula for creating sustainable growth.


During the Corona pandemic, Sweden's leaders and the existing leadership are being put to the test. How will this shape the role of leader in the future?

The crisis creates a humility among both managers and employees regarding that nothing can be taken for granted, we are quite convinced of that. It will create opportunities to gain greater unity behind the company's goals and culture, but there will also be higher demands on leaders to formulate and communicate goals and values in a better way. What we look forward to analyzing in the future is whether, in this "fast" time we live in, we quickly return to old footprints or whether there will be major lasting changes.

The "GIG economy" tends to develop, and current forms of employment are being dissolved. What is your prediction, what does the labor market of the future look like?

Our prediction is that the GIG economy has received a huge extra boost from 10 good years, where many have dared to step into the GIG sector. We believe that the Corona crisis will cause quite a few to return to a life as an employee again, but that the change is temporary. In the long term, organizations' great need for agility should benefit the GIG economy as companies' need for both the amount of competence and the need for various specialists varies so over time.