Experienced, responsive and development-driven - meet Generics' new CEO

Interview with Héléne Henriksson, new CEO of Generic

With the change of CEO at Generic, we take the opportunity to get to know the company's new CEO. We talk to Héléne Henriksson about her background, leadership, motivations - and what she's looking forward to in the role.

For those who are curious: who is at the helm now that Generic has a new CEO?

- My name is Héléne Henriksson! I have worked at Ericsson for a long time in various functions, from development to sales, and in various leadership roles - both in Sweden and abroad. Among other things, in the USA, England and my last assignment there was as company manager for Ericsson's operations in Egypt.

After that I went to Stora Enso and worked for three years on a sales change program in the paper division. It was exciting to see a completely different industry but with similar B2B challenges. Then I chose to go back to telecom and worked at Sinch, where I was responsible for a business that developed messaging platforms and related services that were sold to telecom operators around the world.

How did you end up here at Generic?

- I was asked, it was a planned change of CEO after Jonas Jegerborn had done a fantastic job for seven years. It immediately felt very exciting and I have now officially been CEO of Generic since May this year. After 4.5 years at Sinch, I felt it was a good time to take on something new, and build on previous experiences.

It seems that you like variety and to develop, is that right?

- Absolutely, yes. Even though I was many years at Ericsson, I had different roles. I like to come in, understand a new business, work with changes, take it to the next step - both for me and the organization. To grow, to use what you have learned, both positive experiences and mistakes, in a new environment with new people.

What lessons and values do you bring to your role as CEO?

- Respect and understanding of differences, both internally and with customers. If we understand the customer's needs and challenges, we will have happy employees. Clarity is very important - that we have a strategy, goals and a structure that helps employees deliver what the customer needs.

I also strongly believe in listening to employees, taking advantage of their experience, while challenging them to grow.

Are you the kind of leader who likes to be out in the field and talk directly to employees?

- Absolutely. In a company of Generic's size, it is important that everyone is hands-on. "Walk the talk" is very important. I think it's important to have a dialog, even with people who don't report directly to me. It can be coffee, lunch, meetings or spontaneous conversations - the important thing is to understand what is happening in the business.

Is there anything in particular about your leadership that you think is important to you?

- I try to listen a lot, really take my time. Then, once we agree on a plan, it's important for me that we deliver. Targets should be ambitious, but realistic. I also want to build strong teams that work effectively and complement each other - and grow into bigger tasks.

Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to about the role at Generic?

- Yes, Generic operates in a very exciting environment. Communication is something we are all doing and need to do even better. A lot is happening in security and technology - how communication looks, how it reaches the recipient. It will be exciting to build on what Generic already has and develop our offer, in line with customer needs.

Do you have a vision for Generic in the coming years?

- We will continue to work on the vision going forward, but the most important thing is profitable growth, satisfied customers and motivated employees. Helping our customers with the right communication at the right time is what we will continue to develop.

Looking out across the industry, what trends and innovations do you see?

- AI is on everyone's lips, and it's something we obviously need to look at - both how we can use it to support our customers and to streamline our own operations. At the same time, we work with sensitive information, so it has to be done in the right way.

Security is generally very important, and the launch of RCS messaging is an important step in that direction. It provides safer and richer communication than SMS, with pictures and buttons, for example. At the same time, SMS will remain as an existing channel, so we are working on both.

Are you already using RCS today?

- Yes, we are. There are already solutions in place. A large proportion of mobile phones used in Sweden are Android, and they can already send RCS messages. You don't have to wait - you can start simple and build as you go.