In our interview with Cristina Petrescu, CEO of Securitas Sweden, we gain insight into Executive Interim Management from a client’s perspective. She has an intriguing background from among others, Ericsson, Tieto Evry and Sodexo, and shares her valuable perspectives on the benefits of Interim Management and its role in meeting critical needs within companies.
You have used Executive Interim Management solutions several times, what is the benefit with this solution for business-critical challenges?
“Already during my time at Tieto Evry, I came into contact with Executive Interim Management through Björn Henriksson whom I met in various contexts. It’s an exciting setup where both companies and individual needs are operationally solved, matching experience and expertise with the client’s challenges in a quick and easy way. A recruitment process for a C-level role takes a long time, which you often don’t have, and at the same time, you need a fast, good, and secure solution. Maybe you need a size 38, but you bring in a size 40 for speed, scale, strength, and drive – and not least, for a good and senior leadership.”
Nordic Interim has supported you in engaging two Interim Managers for Sodexo, how did that work?
“We engaged an interim Head of Strategy & PMO and an interim Operations Director. It worked excellently, and I was very pleased with both the interims and the collaboration with Nordic Interim. It was a quick delivery of highly qualified candidates, and we had difficulty choosing! For me, it’s important to have personal chemistry with the people I hire; they must function at all levels of the organization, with customers, and the market.”
When should a company engage an Interim Manager?
“In general: when there are shorter assignments or projects with clear frameworks, and you only have the need for a limited time. It’s also a good solution when you’ve tried to find the right person, but the process takes time, and you don’t want to rush or make a costly wrong recruitment. Also, when you need someone with very specific skills and experience of having successfully done the same thing several times before. You shouldn’t wait too long because then there’s a risk of things deteriorating in the business, causing concern in the organization, which can lead to other people leaving. An experienced interim leader provides security, can start immediately, and delivers from day one.”
You have an exciting background; can you tell us about your experiences?
“I was born in Romania where I studied nuclear physics and space technology; I’ve always had an interest in mathematics and physics. I later chose to study to become a data engineer and joined Ericsson and then Tieto Evry. I spent 17 years at Tieto Evry and had various roles over the years. My last role there was as EVP Head of Public Healthcare & Welfare with a place in the executive management, where I was responsible for driving large businesses in both the public and private sectors, digital transformation, product development, and system integration for clients in various industries. After a short time as Senior Advisor, I joined Sodexo in 2020; it was great fun to transition from IT/Telecom to the service industry and try something new. Now, a new adventure begins at Securitas as CEO for Sweden! I am very pleased that Angelica Jarl has taken over my role at Sodexo and continues to develop the business.”