Four generations of CEOs meet

Anna Borg invited her predecessors to the lunchtime meeting. It had been postponed due to the pandemic, but finally took place.

"The background to this is that I thought it would be fantastic to get all my predecessors together at the same time. They are a part of Vattenfall’s history and we're all sharing our perspectives from having been CEO of Vattenfall at different times. I’m just sorry that Carl-Erik Nyqvist couldn't be here this time," she says.

Carl-Erik Nyqvist, who was Vattenfall’s CEO until the year 2000, was unable to attend the lunch for health reasons.

The four present and former Vattenfall CEOs chatted over lunch at the head office in Solna.

The two-hour lunch meeting was held in the Board members' section on the 11th floor in the Arenastaden office. The lunch menu included char, and memories and events from the last 20 years of Vattenfall were the topics of discussion. The four CEOs also had time to discuss the current situation in the energy market.

"My lunch guests are a fantastic source of knowledge and our conversations were very interesting. The meeting went beyond my expectations and the time went by far too quickly," says Anna Borg.

For Lars G Josefsson, it was the first time he had visited the office in Solna which was completed after he had left. Øystein Løseth and Magnus Hall were both happy to return to the premises.

Lars G Josefsson

CEO from 2000 to 2010. In addition to several board assignments, today runs a solar energy company, Watts2You.

How do you see Vattenfall today?
"Energy has never been more important. Energy issues are growing in importance and, really, they're now at the centre of everyone’s consciousness. Vattenfall has a big and important job to do with this, but huge investments will be needed."

When you look back at your time as CEO, what do you miss?
"Vattenfall is a large and powerful company and when you're at the top of it, there are huge opportunities. The ability to realise your visions is a huge thing, and there are not many roles in which you have this ability. The small company I currently run is at the other end of the scale."

What don't you miss?
"I don't miss having my days booked up with meetings every half an hour and not having any control over my own time. As CEO of Vattenfall, everyone wants to have constant access to you and you always have to be available."

Øystein Løseth

CEO between 2010 and 2014. Today he has several board member positions in Norway.

What was it like to meet the others?
"It was a lot of fun. This lunch was a great initiative, and I would like to thank Anna Borg for that."

How do you see Vattenfall today?
"I think Vattenfall is heading in the right direction. The company has positioned itself very well, with wind power, hydro power and nuclear power to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. I believe that this will be of benefit in the future and provide even more opportunities to invest in fossil-free development. Vattenfall is truly part of the green shift."

What do you miss most from your time as CEO of Vattenfall?
"I see being a manager as being part of a relay race, you get the stick from the person before you and then you hand it over and hopefully your run has gone well. And then it’s over. You don't go around missing things about your work afterwards. It's been an incredible honour to be CEO of Vattenfall, but it’s not the work I miss, it's the people. Meeting colleagues in Berlin or Luleå or elsewhere, that’s what I remember. Being part of the team."

Magnus Hall

CEO between 2014 and 2020. He's currently working on several board assignments.

What was it like to meet the others?
"Great fun. It was incredibly interesting to hear the issues that were important during each period and how the others perceived their time as CEO. This gave a holistic view, which meant that when you merged the entire time that we were in charge at Vattenfall, it didn't actually feel that long."

How do you see Vattenfall today?
"It feels like Vattenfall is heading in the direction we wanted during my time, towards fossil free living within one generation. We’re really going at it, doing things in that direction and communicating it too. And that's great! Another thing I like about Vattenfall now is that Anna Borg is very visible and that Vattenfall can play an important role in both the European and global debate on energy issues. I’m incredibly proud when I see that."

What do you miss most from your time at Vattenfall?
"It’s mostly the feeling of coming to the office and meeting everyone. I had a fantastic time at Vattenfall and I miss my colleagues."