Johan Löw has a long background in the construction industry and is currently the interim Project Unit Manager of Tunnels for the Swedish Transport Administration in the gigantic project of Förbifart Stockholm (E4 Stockholm bypass project). Working as a designer at the beginning of his career has given him a good foundation for understanding even relatively complicated technical issues, and his various roles within the construction industry over the years have given him strong skills in project management, sales, and leadership.
His roles have often been international, for example, in Asia for Skanska, as project manager for process industries in Brazil, and as head of Ruukki Construction’s operations in Scandinavia. During his time at Ruukki, he worked with a portfolio of very large projects, such as Mall of Scandinavia, Stockholm Waterfront and Friends Arena.
For several years, Johan worked with opinion formation and education issues in the role as CEO for the industry organization Stålbyggnadsinstitutet, a business of more than 100 member companies. He had a great interest in leadership and wanted to share his experiences in complex construction projects, leading him to start a career as an Interim Manager in 2020. “I am good at working together with people and I believe that my seniority can create value. Over the years, I have learned to be patient, drive change, and make sure that it runs through the whole organization,” he says.
What are your responsibilities within your current interim assignment?
“I started in 2020 in a role as Section Manager for the tunnels in Förbifart Stockholm, which consists of a total of 55 km of tunnels, including work tunnels. It is the world’s second-longest tunnel in an urban environment! We have a large number of ongoing contracts, six of which are under my responsibility. Much of my work is to coordinate and lead the work through others on a daily basis, make sure that the organization is working, and that we keep our budget and schedules. We have a lot of hired consultants, which means that there is a lot of rotation of staff and that we must have a good recruitment process for replacements. In my part of the developer organization, we have about 80 employees on whom we place very high demands as this is a very complex and difficult project. An example is when you come to a place in the tunnel, and you do not know what it looks like inside the rock. My crew is fantastic!”
What is the advantage of working as an Interim Manager?
“To get a new mission focused on solving a task, but not owning the organization’s problems. It creates a great deal of freedom, and you can stay out of internal politics. For me, it is a way of working that gives a great deal of freedom and an opportunity to drive development, and work with what is really fun.
What is your leadership philosophy?
“It is incredibly important to trust your staff. When you have a lot of people under you, you have to let the organization work, believe in what they are doing, and lead through others. I believe in constant development and patience – trusting employees to do a good job and giving them time to succeed.”
How do you ensure you have a good work-life balance?
“When I go home, I disconnect from work. I do not lie awake at night thinking and pondering. I enjoy relaxing and reloading with sports, my family and walking our dog, but the main thing is the ability to switch off – work always remains!”