With a career spanning over consumer goods, entrepreneurial growth companies, publicly listed businesses, and board work, Christina Tillman has built extensive experience in both operational leadership and strategic governance. Today, she combines executive assignments with several board positions, including Grimaldi Industri, Salix Group, and Corem Property Group.
We met with Christina to discuss leadership, board responsibilities, succession planning, and how interim management can become an important strategic tool when organizations need to act quickly.
You have extensive experience from both executive management and board work. How has your career shaped your understanding of what drives successful businesses?
“I have a background in finance and began my career at Indiska, where I spent ten years in various purchasing roles and eventually became Head of Purchasing. I’ve always been fortunate to work for exciting companies, and since then I’ve worked with many different consumer brands.
That experience has given me a strong understanding of consumer products, what sells, and how to build brands. I believe operational experience is extremely valuable in board work as well. It provides an understanding of what is actually happening within a business and the challenges management faces.
A significant part of my career was my time at Odd Molly. When I joined in 2005, the company was still relatively small, but during the following seven years I was part of its substantial growth journey, which was incredibly rewarding. From the outside, it may look as though everything comes easily when a company is successful, but in reality, there are always challenges that need to be addressed. We experienced remarkable growth and listed Odd Molly first on First North and later on Nasdaq.
After Odd Molly, I continued as CEO of companies including Gudrun Sjödén and Happy Plugs. Since 2018, I have also been serving operationally as CEO of Hunter, a company specializing in hunting electronics. Throughout this period, board work has become an increasingly important part of my professional life.
I really enjoy strategic work, which is why combining operational leadership with board assignments suits me well. My work is varied and flexible, even though I work quite a lot of hours.”
You have experience both as a member of executive management and as someone who oversees challenges from the boardroom. What is important for a board to function effectively?
“When serving on a board, you sometimes have to exercise real self-discipline to avoid becoming involved in operational matters. You must try to remain at the strategic level. At the same time, I genuinely enjoy operational work as well. To me, perhaps the board’s most important responsibility is ensuring that the company has the right CEO and the right leadership in place.
Generally speaking, I believe the board’s primary responsibility is to appoint and, when necessary, replace the CEO. If you have a strong CEO who works well with the board, many other things tend to fall into place.
A good CEO builds a strong management team. Strong leaders hire strong people, and that makes the board’s work much easier and more effective. For me, that is priority number one.”
What role should the board have in the company’s strategic development?
“The board must always focus on what is best for the company and on the objectives of its owners. That can look very different depending on the ownership structure. There is a significant difference between, for example, a family-owned company and a publicly listed company with many shareholders.
The board must also contribute to defining a clear direction for the business. Which markets should the company operate in? Which products should it invest in? How should the business model evolve? Supporting management in these discussions is extremely important. The board helps establish a clear direction and determine the outcomes the company wants to achieve.”
How do you work with targets without the board becoming overly involved in the details?
“There should be a reasonable number of clear objectives within areas such as finance, HR, and customer satisfaction.
There are countless possible targets, but you need to focus on those that are most relevant to the specific business and avoid setting too many. Objectives should guide the company toward the desired behaviours and outcomes.”
You have also been engaged in increasing female representation on corporate boards. What needs to change?
“Sometimes it can be frustrating that progress is slower than one would like and that it can still be more challenging to be a woman. However, I believe we need to keep pushing forward and doing our best. I also believe people should earn positions based on merit, not quotas.
At the same time, I think we are moving in the right direction and seeing more women represented. Naturally, I would like the pace of change to be faster. Women need to support and encourage other women. We need more role models who demonstrate that it is possible. When you see others step forward and succeed, it becomes easier to do so yourself.”
What is your view of executive interim management, and what role can it play for boards?
“I believe interim management is an important tool for boards of directors. Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you need to recruit a CFO quickly. That is one of the most common positions to fill on an interim basis. In such cases, you need someone who can serve as a bridge while you identify the right permanent candidate.
An experienced interim executive ensures continuity while also contributing operationally as the organization conducts a permanent recruitment process. In some cases, you may discover that the interim executive performs exceptionally well and is someone you would like to retain permanently. I have personally seen interim managers transition into permanent roles.
However, I believe interim management should be viewed as more than simply a solution to a vacancy. It can also be a strategic tool for the board.”
What do you mean when you say interim management can be a strategic tool?
“I believe boards are generally not good enough at succession planning. It needs to be better documented and more thoroughly prepared. Boards should continuously consider different scenarios that could arise.
If a CEO, CFO, or another key executive unexpectedly leaves, the company must be able to act quickly. An interim solution can provide stability and continuity while giving the board sufficient time to find the right permanent replacement. In that respect, interim management is an excellent tool.”
What would you say to boards that want to become better at managing unexpected change?
“Start preparing before the situation arises. Succession planning is not only about having a plan for when a CEO leaves; it is about thinking through a range of scenarios and determining how the organization should respond. When something unforeseen happens, there is rarely time to start from scratch. The board needs to know what it wants to achieve and what options are available.
For me, effective board work is largely about creating the right conditions for management to succeed, while also being prepared when those conditions suddenly change.”
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