2016 Award

Global Forum / Robert L. (Lex) Dilworth Award

PIA ANDERBERG (Sweden)

PIA ANDERBERG (Sweden)

Received her M.Sc. from the University of Uppsala (Sweden) in 1987. Pia started her professional career by performing macro economic analysis for the Swedish government and then within the financial sector. In 1990, she joined the newly started business simulation company, BTS Group AB. During her 14 years at the BTS Group she held a number of positions with the company, such as VP Development, VP Sales, CEO BTS Nordic and Market Area Manager Europe. In 1999 she founded the subsidiary BTS Interactive, a world-wide supplier of e-learning within the BTS Group. In 2001-2002, she turned around the Nordic operations of the company. She was also part of the team listing BTS Group on the Stockholm StockExchange, 2001. During her years at BTS, she developed multiple projects for different industries and conducted hundreds of seminars world-wide. The main target group was top management. The area of competence is business acumen, profitability and efficiency.. Today, BTS Group is the largest supplier in the world within tailor-made business simulations and has offices in Europe, US, Australia, Asia and South Africa. In the summer of 2004, she left her position as Market Area Manager Europe and joined Novare, part of Investor AB (Investor being the biggest investment company in Northern Europe with holdings like Ericsson, ABB, Electrolux and Saab). 2005 Pia and two partners bought 50% of Novare from Investor. Novare consists of 8 companies in the field of HR. The company has had a profitable growth of approx 300% since 2005. Pia sold her share of Novare Human Capital in May 2010 and started up a new company together with Investor called Act Group AB. Act Group bought SamSari AB in June 2010. Focus of Act Group is to support implementation of strategy and changes in the whole company from top management to every employee using action learning, film, internet, social media and train-the trainer concepts. Act Group also works with management development for top managers on a team or individual basis. Pia co- founded one of the biggest female networks for top managers in Sweden 2005 (2010 approx. 140 top management women has participated in the program) and the biggest mentor program in Sweden 2009 (2010, 360 people participated in the program) together with Veckans Affärer. She has been talking on the topic “How to get more women into top management positions and boards” in different parts of the world. She has been working with Business Driven Action Learning since 2004, mentored by Dr Yury Boshyk. Board assignments Act Group (2010-) Kunskapsskolan (2007- ) Kunskapsskolan is one of the three biggest privately owned schools in Sweden (owned by Magnora and Investor Mercuri International (2006- ). Mercuri International has businesses in approx. 40 countries and is one of the leading training companies in the world within business acumen and sales. Iqube (2008-2009) Incubator of Johan Stael von Holstein Novare Human Capital and subsidiaries (2005-2010) Propell AB (2007-2009) SamSari AB(2005-2006) Advisory Board Pia Anderberg is a member of the advisory board of Worlds Childrens Prize, the biggest initiative in the world protecting and educating children in the rights of the child. Pia Anderberg is married to Thomas and has two children. She loves all kinds of outdoor activities and works actively with the local football club for her son.

Pia is an enthusiastic entrepreneur with a great personality. She has a strong drive and an action driven approach to learning. I have always very much enjoyed working with Pia.

Pia is an influential leader within the Axel Johnson group. With her strong entrepreneurship and ability to explore new ways to solve business problems, Pia is a key person for developing people and business in her role as Vice President of People and Innovation. Her passion for action learning permeates the leadership culture and is a great source of action and inspiration for young and experienced leader alike.

“I have worked with Pia for several years, where she among other things has managed the development and implementation of a new Talent Development Program, as well as group wide top management conferences. Pia has a unique ability to work with individual and team performance with a clear business perspective in the first place . She always looks for opportunities, and has the ability to concretize complex issues to something that is clear and understandable, always with a positive approach and a can do attitude”.

GEERT EGGER (Denmark)

GEERT EGGER (Denmark)

is a Social Anthropologist with a PhD in Education and Psychology. Following 6 years as senior researcher, he held corporate positions at the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, Novo Nordisk and TeliaSonera. Since 2003 he has been involved in providing business driven action learning as the CEO of Action Lab A/S. Author of several books, as well as examiner at Universities in Denmark.

Our Action Lab Greenhouse is an excellent concept. It is intensive action learning in which real business challenges as well as team and individual learnings are combined into an intensive 5-days frame with follow-up feedback. As key stakeholder I find the Action Lab Greenhouse very rewarding and know that it is highly appreciated by participants, In general they rate the outcome more than 4.5 on a scale from 1-5. We have engaged with Action Lab A/S annually since 2004 in conducting the concept.

Geert Egger can best be described as a committed partner in creating a well-planned, ambitious and seamlessly executed action learning experience that deepens the business understanding of our key talents while keeping sharp focus on the personal and group level learnings, contributing to increased awareness regarding their strengths and development areas as leaders. In addition, Geert keeps a close eye on the interests and needs of his stakeholders while upholding the integrity of the learning principles in a well-developed methodology.

The action learning programs have been very good at breaking barriers between professional experts. With the common aim of delivering something of relevance to the organization many have in a small focused process learned about the complexityof an effort, learned to appreciate what others bring . and learned about themselves .
It has been useful for us to bred new leaders, in particular those with leadershipskills rather than management courses.
So while giving good coaching and personal development for talented idnividuals, it has help the organization in tackling complex problems and getting a collective view on a particular task.
On a personal level. You have in your dealing with people manged respectfully to get people to adjust themselves.

GUNNAR GEORGE (Sweden)

GUNNAR GEORGE (Sweden)

Is a specialist on strategy and change communication. He has a background in the telecommunications industry where he worked for 10 years, mainly within product management at Ericsson. The last 17 years he has been a management consultant with several big international companies as clients. Focus is on facilitating Top Management Programs and coaching multicultural teams, and supporting companies' change processes through management workshops and Engagement Dialogs. His titles are many: workshop facilitator, program leader, presentation designer, copywriter, communication coach – and more personally also father, author, photographer, runner and mountain climber.

I came into contact with Gunnar when I was the newly appointed EVP HR at a Dometic Group, which had a, politely stated, somewhat eccentric CEO who had come from Atlas Copco. This CEO told me that he had done some really good leadership development program there and wanted me to do something like that for Dometic Group. Calling on my network, I quickly learned that it was Gunnar George who had run the successful BDAL program for Atlas Copco. I organized a meeting with him and quickly formed a now 6 year long collaboration, with two extremely successful HIPO Programs and one Emerging Talent Program that impacted both individuals and the organization in profound ways. After working systematically and purposely with BDAL, Gunnar has helped to make lasting impacts on both participants, sponsors, the leadership team and the company.

Gunnar is a person who combines deep business insights with deep insights into organizational development, organizational learning as well as individual development and learning. He is creative, inspiring, fun to work with and always 100% reliable. He is a humanist with corporate savvy and a businessman with COMPASSION – as he so aptly named his company.

My warmest congratulations to Gunnar on this well-deserved reward.

"The best strategy is the one being implemented”: Gunnar George has played a key role in defining an approach on how to communicate and anchor our Group’s strategy, formulated in 2014. A methodology built on dialogue maps quickly transferred ownership and we are now experiences the strength of an aligned organisation.
Gunnar also guided us in defining the corporate culture and key behaviours essential to bring out and leverage the size and strength of our entire organisation. In addition Gunnar George has supported and challenged me to perform and develop.

I have worked with GG for 9 years, setting up Top Talent Programmes for 3 different companies.
It has been enjoyable in many ways.
Gunnar is a person who takes the opportunity seriously and aims to achieve sustainable change.
He not only challenge the participants in the programmes , but also the “buyer” of his professional services, which has been myself.
In his role he will be seen as senior, approachable, connected, demanding and fun to be with. What more can an HR Director wish for?

ÅKE REINHOLDSSON (Sweden)

ÅKE REINHOLDSSON (Sweden)

A Swedish HR specialist and consultant. Since 1996 he is a partner of the Global Executive Learning (GEL). During the past fifteen years Åke has acted as coordinator and coach in development programs for a number of global companies including: Boeing, Baxter Healthcare, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Deutsche Post, Eli Lilly, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, Pirelli and Volvo Car Corporation. He has completed several projects for companies and organisations based in Sweden. Åke started his professional career in Philips Electronics N.V. in 1969 coordinating people development initiatives for the Swedish and Nordic organizations. In 1975 he was appointed HR director for one of the major industrial units for professional electronic systems. For five years in the eighties Åke worked as a senior consultant for PA International based in London (executive search) and Caliper Inc, based in Princeton, USA (selection and development). In 1990 Åke became VP of HR and member of the executive committee of the industrial conglomerate, KF Industri AB. During a period of two years several daughter companies were restructured, sold or prepared to go public. As board member of daughter companies he had an important role in the most critical change initiatives and processes. In the early nineties the financial situation of the City of Stockholm became difficult. The many activities ranging from infrastructure systems (energy, water supply, public transportation) to schools and social welfare needed to downsize and outsource parts of their activities. In 1992 Åke became the director of HR responsible for the central people strategies, policies, and negotiations reporting to the Mayor of Stockholm. During the restructuring years the organization was reduced by 20%. Åke has an MSc in behavioural sciences. He has attended specialist and executive development programs in several countries. During his years as VP of HR he was member of advisory boards of the Federation of Swedish Enterprise and equal organizations. He has also served on the board of the Swedish HR Society. He has written several articles on restructuring, industrial relations and other key HR issues during his career. Åke was born in 1943. He is married to Agneta and the family lives in Stockholm.

Dear Åke,

I’m certain, knowing you for the very humble and private person you are, that all of this public fuss is almost more that you can stand. I am sorry for your discomfort my friend. You’ll have to put up with the spotlight for just a few more moments -- so please bear with us.

And excuse me if I use some of the “Harold Words” you have so often tried to suggest I consolidate into more simple and straightforward statements. You are right…of course.

It’s nearly 30 years since you and I first met. You were much younger then and, as I recall, had considerably more hair… It was a bit darker too I think. Still relatively early in your career, you were transitioning out of a HR leadership position with Phillips Electronics and looking, I suspect, for an entrepreneurial adventure. And I (also somewhat younger and more hairy at the time) was working for Caliper, as it was seeking to expand its enterprise beyond its US boarders.

For reasons that were more serendipitous than planned, Sweden was selected to be Caliper’s first international location and you, Åke, had the dubious honor of being selected as the company’s very first International Managing Director.

Together with our friend Scott Corwin, Caliper’s Head of Finance and Business Operations and me, the company’s resident academic nerd and Head of Research and Consulting, we became friends and colleagues as we worked together to figure out how to translate and adapt the Caliper personality concepts, tools and business model to the Swedish culture. It was then and there that I first came to know a measure of your wisdom, your curiosity, your patience and your ability to coach, align and mentor.

It took us nearly a year to complete the task and, in the end, what we accomplished was much more personal than the mere translation of a personality tool and the creation of a workable business model. For in the process translating the tools, we stayed at each others homes, we learned about each others families and cultures, we talked about how the world worked and what we liked and didn't like and our aspirations and our goals and world history and economics and religion and philosophy and business and what was and is important and what was and is not.

I thank you, my friend, for your willingness to share your ideas and feelings, for your empathy and patient collaboration, for your willingness to engage and most of all for your tolerance of my only speaking English. You are a remarkable human being for that alone.

You stayed at Caliper for only a few short years where we had the opportunity to explore and collaborate on a number of projects (including the development of a proprietary assessment tool for ABB—see me later for a copy of the original) and then you went on to have a distinguished career with KF Industries and as the HR Director for the City of Stockholm before joining with your friends Yury, Chantal and Karl-Georg some 20 years ago.

And then, in 2003, with yet another expression of your generosity and friendship, you introduced me to the GEL team as I was beginning to transition out of my role at Caliper. For that I am most grateful because it provided an opportunity for us to collaborate and see each other again and for me to have the opportunity to honor you tonight.

Though I am sure this will embarrass you, I once told your dear wife and our friend Agneta, that I loved you…and I do my friend. I have learned much from you over these years and hope to do so for many more years to come. Congratulations on this award and recognition. I can think of no one more worthy and I am honored to be among the presenters.

Dear Ake,

Our Story started 20 years ago in the South of France, thanks to the Theseus Business School. It’s where the idea to build our network around BUSINESS DRIVEN ACTION LEARNING was born. I remember you saying the acronym BDAL sounded great!!!

You have always been our “Wise Man” showing continuous common sense, always pushing us further and further with your favorite question: what next?

Beyond your huge experience, you are very progressive, always looking to the future.

Simplification is your way of life. I love your few words “this sounds complicated, could we do something about it”.

Above all, people are your “raison d’être”. You teach me empathy and I admire your secret way to empower people and to make them stronger while questioning some of their behaviors, and this, always, with elegance.

Finally, I would like to say I really appreciate the profound and durable friendship we have built along these 20 years which has helped us overcome the natural milestones of our lives. We have never missed opportunities to celebrate this friendship wherever we have been in the world. I shall always treasure and never forget these wonderful moments.

Thank you.

Dear Åke,

On my part just a few short comments why I think you are the right person for this award and what it should mean to you.

You will not know, but you have introduced to me to an essential part of Business Driven Action Learning.
In your case, it is the art of active listening.
We hear a lot about questions and questioning techniques but rarely about the art of listening and the importance for learning.
Respect and appreciation of people is the foundation for listening, thus allowing access to people and their knowledge. In this respect, I am still trying to learn from you.

It’s of course not the case that you don’t have anything to say. No, just the opposite.
I'll never forget how you have summarized-- at the very beginning of our cooperation-- a fairly intellectual contribution by a program presenter with the words: “Corporate bullshit”. You captured the essence of it beautifully.
And that's something I've learned as well. Respect but also the courage to call things by their real name. Thanks for that.

Ultimately, we've both hopefully grown gray with honor. Dear Ake, I am happy to tell you that this is only an optical phenomenon with you. I sometimes close my eyes and concentrate entirely on the voice of a man. While listening to the sound of a voice you can figure out how awake a brain is and how engaged it is with life. Voices are, in general, aging. Yours, however, is as fresh as the first day we met.
So enjoy the award. For sure it does not mean that you’re on the shelf from now on. In fact, the very opposite.

GLOBAL FORUM | ACTIONLEARNING

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