Ulrika Ljungkvist has a long background in the pharmaceutical industry from, among others, Recipharm and AstraZeneca. She currently has an interim assignment as Head of Production helping a manufacturing company prepare for strong growth, be able to meet customers’ needs and find new niches.
The common thread in her career is manufacturing companies in the pharmaceutical industry, and with a focus on the strongly quality regulated management and governance of delivery organizations. She has been active in all areas of a product’s life cycle, before, during and after production.
How do you prepare yourself for an interim assignment?
“Before I take on an assignment, it is important to understand and know what the customer is looking for, what skills they need, and what expectations and conditions they have. I ask a lot of questions to understand what is important to them. Sometimes it is speed and sometimes it is to discuss and estimate the budget or to get the delivery function in order. In my current assignment, I will not make any big changes in leadership at once but give it some time and from the beginning be clear about that this will take time, it is a ‘journey’. To be able to drive change, it is very important for me to understand the company, talk to the staff and get to know the products and the market so that I understand the conditions. You should also spend time getting to know people in other parts of the organization to understand the big picture. Listen and learn! Another thing that is important to me is to create conditions personally, at home, to be able to work more than 100% in my assignment.”
What are the most important factors in your leadership?
“For me, leadership is showing engagement, being committed and leading with your heart and personality. It should be genuine and clear, but at the same time, you have to dare to do difficult things and make tough decisions. Transparency is important and you should communicate as much as you can. I want to have good relationships with my team and create together with people. I create a goal that is achievable, have an overall view, and continuous learning. Every employee in an organization wants to know where you are and where you are going and what it means for the individual. When you fail with a change process, it is often because you have not been honest and clear enough about where you are but have displayed an embellished picture of the situation. And you have to have fun along the way!”
How do you ensure a good work/life balance?
“To have a good balance, you must understand where you get energy. I get energy from my job and a fun work environment which means that I still have energy when I get home. I also like being in the garden, growing plants and being creative.”