Introducing Ms. Helene Hasselskog, Chief HR Officer, Sweco AB.
“With diverse teams and skills, we’ve been able to create broader perspectives and more innovative solutions.”
According to the findings of the EWoB GDI 2020, Sweden is one of the top 5 countries with a Gender Diversity Index (GDI) closest to equality. Our next GDI Best Practice Leader is a company based in Sweden, ranking among the top 5 out of STOXX 600 companies, with a GDI score of 0,98. (Source: EWoB GDI 2020, TOP 20 Companies) It is our great pleasure to introduce to you Sweco AB with Ms. Helene Hasselskog, Chief HR Officer.
In the course of more than 130 years, Sweco has evolved from a local business in Sweden to Europe’s leading architecture and engineering consultancy, with sales of approximately two billion Euro. The company is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Besides domestic projects and clients, Sweco also offers its services in approximately 70 countries worldwide.
Sweco actively promotes equal rights and opportunities in the workplace regardless of gender, ethnic origin, nationality, religious belief, disability, sexual orientation or age, both internally and externally. Gender equality is an important element of Sweco´s long-term strategy driven by the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular goal 5.5.
According to Helene Hasselskog, the history of gender equality at Sweco goes back to 1950:
„ Already in the 1950s, one of Sweco’s founders, Gunnar Nordström, stated that to be successful we needed to reflect the diversity of our society. With diverse teams and skills, we’ve been able to create broader perspectives and more innovative solutions. This has been a guiding star throughout Sweco’s history. We have about 1,500 teams and the most successful are the ones that combine people with different skills and experiences.
Today Sweco’s executive team consists of 14 members and is led by CEO, Åsa Bergman (read more about CEO Åsa Bergman talking about diversity as the way forward) .The gender balance on the Board and among top executives sends a strong signal that this is a prioritized agenda for the entire organisation.
We continually and deliberately recruit, develop, promote and expose women to leader- and management positions. We believe that this is the most powerful way to get the balance we aim for. By doing so, we also continually foster new generations of talented women and role models for generations to come.
For companies, aiming for gender equality, it is important to embrace the strategic rationale behind. With the belief and by progressing gradually with their gender diversity agenda, they will become more successful. And in the end, they will become more profitable.”
Thank you to Ms. Helene Hasselskog, Chief HR Officer, Sweco AB for sharing these valuable insights with us.
Congratulations, Sweco, for scoring among top 5 out of STOXX 600 companies according to GDI 2020. It is an exceptional achievement!