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A man who knows what he
wants and how he wants it.
Carl Vikingsson, Sigma Technology.
If there’s anyone who can tell you about how to get as a leader, you should always hire people who
from a job on the factory floor to being responsible are ‘bigger’ than you are yourself, says Carl about
for over 3,000 employees, it’s Carl Vikingsson, CEO his leadership.
of Sigma Technology. He can also expound upon the
benefits of “playing the long game” and what these And at Sigma Technology they are doing some-
experiences, together with a certain amount of thing very right; not only are they already halfway to
chance, have done for both him and the company he their goal of going from 1 to 2 billion in turnover by
has worked for since 1986. the year 2024, but they have also been named one
of Sweden’s best employers. This distinction is based
Carl was born and raised in Bohuslän on Sweden’s on what a company’s own employees say about their
west coast, a stone’s throw from the Sote Canal, employer. Students have also given Sigma Technology
just south of Hunnebostrand. With a high school their seal of approval, ranking it as Sweden’s most
engineering degree in hand, he applied for and got a attractive employer in the IT consulting industry.
job at Volvo. He started on the factory floor, where he – I don’t think that it has so much to do with my
assembled Volvo cars and learned the industry from leadership, but it’s great that we get such good
the inside out. After his time at Volvo, he became reviews both internally and externally. It makes it
a consultant at Projektgruppen and then at Sapia easier to maintain our credibility and to attract new
Teknik, which later became Sigma after Dan Olofsson talent and expertise to the company, says Carl about
bought that part of the company. After a few years last year’s accolades.
in various roles, he became CEO of Sigma Technology
in 1997. When he’s not busy running the group, Carl enjoys
– When I was working with technical documentation cooking for family and friends – preferably something
at Sigma, we benefitted from my background and Italian. He also has a passion for interior design,
knowledge of car production when we competed design and architecture, and he knows exactly what
for and won the Volvo account, says Carl about the he likes and why.
advantages of experience from the factory floor. – If I had to choose a favourite piece, it would probably
be our National Geographic bookcase, designed by
Carl has led the company for over 25 years, and Mats Theselius. I really like it, says Carl when asked
when asked about his leadership style, he is initially to choose a favourite piece of furniture.
reluctant to describe it himself. But he can still sum
himself up as clear, intuitive and someone who likes Having been with the company since the start,
to gather as many facts as possible before making Carl possesses a wealth of experience and knowl-
a decision. edge about Sigma. What’s more, he is the interior
– Things have gone well for us, and apart from the design-loving CEO who knows what he wants and
fact that it has also involved a certain amount of luck how he wants it, so that it will be really good for
and chance, I also think it’s due to my conviction that everyone within the group.