Would you like to tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I was born and raised in Piteå but moved to Uppsala to study. I studied systems and computer science at Uppsala University. I then started on my career pathway as a consultant. That was back in 1999, and I have worked in the industry ever since. It’s been a while, you might say!
I remained in Uppsala and I’m married to Karin. We have an eighteen-year-old daughter, Lisa. We also have two dogs.
What do you like doing most in your spare time?
I really enjoy being in the kitchen. I am a bit of foodie and like to experiment in the kitchen, both on an everyday basis and for more festive occasions. After a long working day where I’ve spent hours tapping code, I like to do something with my hands. I also brew my own beer. It’s a fun interest. It’s great to be able to treat family and friends to good, carefully prepared food. It’s even more fun to be able to serve homemade beer with it!
In addition to my interest in food, I get out a lot – that’s bound to happen with two dogs! I used to be into orienteering and I like to be out and about in the great outdoors. I enjoy collecting mushrooms when they’re in season, which is the perfect complement to my interest in food.
In summer, we like to hang out at our summer place by Lake Vättern. It has been in my wife’s family for years, so it’s a real family place where lots of relatives gather during the summer.
What does a typical day as an IT consultant at Embriq look like?
I work with a product called Quant Insight, which is a type of analysis tool for online companies. Quant Insight is an exciting and advanced product in an industry that really interests me, i.e. the energy industry. Our day-to-day work is based on a list of customer wishes and improvements, so, to cut a long story short, you could say that me and the team make sure we address the customers’ wishes in terms of product improvements.
My most important task is simply to make sure we refine our product to meet the needs of the electricity companies. A lot is happening in this area with digitalisation, and that is also one of the main reasons why I find it so incredibly exciting to work at Embriq. We always work in line with the customer’s current needs and are ahead of the game.
Why did you decide to start working at Embriq?
There are two things I really like about my job. One is being able to work with problem-solving and have the opportunity to build customer-oriented solutions. It’s really fun to be part of the digitalisation journey that the industry is currently undertaking. The other is that Embriq has a nice combination of cool technology and a good system that creates value.
What do you like most about the particular job you have?
The best thing is really the way all those things come together: working with cool technology; the opportunity to develop; problem-solving; and getting to actually deliver and be involved in adding customer benefit.
Customer benefit is a major driving force for me and always has been. To be able to make a delivery that makes the customer happy and knowing that what I have created actually generates value for the customer – that’s probably the best thing about my job.
What’s the most interesting tech trend right now?
Many people would probably say “AI” at this point, but actually I have to say “the cloud”. We are in the midst of technological change when it comes to cloud-based functions – and it is a technological change that is happening here and now. In terms of Quant Insight, you can truly say that it is built at the cutting edge of this technological change. We exploit all the benefits of the cloud – which is why we can deliver advanced analytics to utility companies so quickly. All thanks to the cloud trend that we are in the midst of right now!
Just one more thing: AI is really cool, but it is still of fairly limited scope in terms of where it can be used. AI will be more exciting to follow going forward – but right now it’s the cloud for me!
What’s your favourite tech gadget?
I’m not that into gadgets, so it would probably have to still be the mobile phone. Or possibly my coffee maker – a Moccamaster. Best of all would be both of these combined, I suppose.
What is your top book tip?
There are quite a few books I both read and listen to. And then I devour books on most topics – everything from detective stories to the classics. My tastes are pretty catholic, you might say. But here I would like to sing the praises of a classic (there is often a reason why they are called “classics”). Last summer I read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. And it was really, really good, so that’s going to be my top book tip.
… And if we are talking television series, which is the best?
These take up a lot of time even at our house. There’s probably no better way to round off a day than by watching some TV series on the couch. Quite recently we watched a series called White Lotus (HBO) – it’s really good. It’s about guests at a resort and it becomes a pretty twisted story. I can highly recommend it. And later this autumn, I’m looking forward to the new season of True Detective and the new version of Riget (The Kingdom).