Anette Hägg, Sigma Industry Innovation

As a section manager, Anette is very active and is always putting new opportunities in motion. She is a leader who loves to work with people, wants the best for them, and wants to see them develop.

“As a leader, I strive for open and honest dialogue and to be transparent, creative and engaging,” says Anette with a smile. I love helping people develop and challenging them to the next level. And there’s nothing better than being there and seeing them succeed.”

Anette earned an MSE in Industrial Economics from Mälardalen University, which is also where, after a few years of research, she earned her licentiate degree in Rightsourcing. Anette was not entirely sure what she wanted to work with after the completion of her doctoral studies. All she knew was that she wanted to work with something that was fun and stimulating with a focus on human relationships. Anette started her career as a project manager and production developer at Volvo, and then focused more on leadership as a manager of several production engineering departments.

“I’m passionate about identifying opportunities in a problem,” begins Anette when asked about seeing things from a holistic perspective. “I like having a helicopter view and seeing how different things are connected, or if not connected, how they would be better if they were. I find this to be a lot of fun, and when you think something is fun, you do it better.”

During her time at Volvo, Anette worked together with many consultants, which sparked her interest in new adventures. After many years at Volvo, Anette joined Sigma in 2018.

“I had a very good impression of Sigma,” says Anette. “They had great consultants, their heart was in the right place, and they had a good drive.”

Since joining Sigma, Anette has focused on continuing to recruit driven people with a big heart. Thanks to her and her colleagues’ conscientious selection of new employees, the team has grown stronger over the years, and they make a wonderful culture even better.

The team’s shared determination, drive, and commitment laid the foundation for a separate company, and Sigma Industry Innovation has been standing firmly on its own two feet since 2022. Thanks to this successful way of working, many departments have been able to spin off and form more sections in new areas. Over the years, Anette’s original section has grown into four expanding and prosperous sections, in which employees have developed and taken the step to become consultant managers, and who now lead teams in everything from project management and production technology to software and industrial IT.

“Here we get to be a small, fast-paced and flexible company with short decision-making paths, while at the same time having the security of being part of something bigger,” says Anette about the freedom to expand and develop as a company within Sigma. “And I love the freedom here, if we have a plan and show lasting success, we can essentially do what we want.”

The pandemic was tough for Anette and her colleagues, but as usual, the setbacks turned into incentives to identify new opportunities. With the goal of minimising the risk of potential redundancies, everyone in the company helped to identify new customers and assignments. Some were found in the most unexpected areas, such as package packing and Covid-19 testing. They also received confirmation that existing customers have good trust in them. Despite the halt in consultant recruitment, a unique collaboration was created with companies in security and life science where they were offered consulting services at discounted prices. As a result, their consultants gained a meaningful job while gaining experience in new areas, which means that, as a company, they are now better equipped for the future.

“I love the feeling when you manage to put a puzzle together so that it solves the customer’s problem while the consultant obtains exciting professional development,” says Anette about creating solutions from problems.

The next step for Anette and her colleagues is to continue to grow by establishing offices in new locations and by further attracting new and amazing employees. The future certainly looks bright for Anette and her team, and she may need to start identifying opportunities in success as well. But there certainly is not much cause for concern when you see people grow and find opportunities that make a difference.