Working within the Swedish team at Anderson MacGyver

Specialising in helping clients navigate complex digital transformations, Anderson MacGyver burst into the Nordics consulting market in the summer of 2019. As the firm looks to expand its client base and team in the region, five members of the firm’s Stockholm office tell Consultancy.eu what it’s like to work for the firm.

Speaking to Consultancy.eu in 2021, Anderson Macgyver’s Nordics leader Patrik Hermansson said he had high hopes for the firm. One year on, he is happy to see those plans progressing.

“I find it very satisfying to see new colleagues taking their place within the organisation, thriving and adding value in our assignments. Now, I’m looking forward to getting to the next phase in the Nordics, moving towards a critical mass of consultants.”

Across its offices in the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden, Anderson Macgyver focuses on two lines of work: digital strategy, and execution – bringing those strategies to life. Enjoying a growing roster of clients in the Nordics, the firm is this year anticipating to grow its local team.

“If you are a high-performing professional in digital transformation or want to become one and you enjoy making impact with clients, then you shouldn’t hesitate to consider us.”

Asked what professionals can expect when joining the consultancy, Patrik is keen to mention the firm’s “challenging projects”, “supportive culture” and “infrastructure that fosters a steep leaning curve”. And, not to forget, our team members “really become part of our family!”

Lovisa Lundblad is one recent arrival who this welcoming atmosphere has helped settle in. She notes that while the team is made up of “hard-working people,” they also “enjoy having fun” – and so even though she has only been with the firm for two months, she feels “completely comfortable,” as it is a work environment where she enjoys spending time.

“The first thing that hit me was the amazing culture,” Lovisa continues. “The company feels like a big family and is really genuine. You can really feel how the people who work here all are ambitious, down to earth and appreciate to have fun in their work. Secondly, I was really intrigued by the company’s expertise in data and technology. Both are relevant topics for companies to embrace, and I am eager to help make an impact in these areas.”

Supportive atmosphere

Since arriving, Lovisa had been involved in a number of projects helping clients to update their system landscape, including strategy and implementation work. This is challenging and rewarding work, which also necessitates tight collaboration with clients – giving new professionals valuable insights into other industries too.

Fellow new joiner Aravinthan Kananathan has particularly enjoyed this kind of opportunity since becoming a part of Anderson Macgyver. When looking for his next career chapter, he knew his interest lay within digitalisation and business development – and Anderson Macgyver was “a perfect match” for that, as its work enabled its staff to learn about projects and challenges with clients in different industries.

Aravinthan explains, “Learning about the projects and challenges that Anderson MacGyver take on with their clients drew my interest for the company. Since joining, I’ve seen it fully live up to that promise; the firm has a great team, helping to challenge yourself as a consultant and grow. The trust and support throughout the whole company allows you as an individual to explore your own creativity while always being supported in your work with clients.”

Like Lovisa, Aravinthan has also found that the firm is quick to trust newcomers with important work. Since joining in August 2022, his first project at Anderson MacGyver focused on the human resources sector, helping a client evaluate different vendors for their selection of a time system.

More recently, he has also been working more on internal matters “such as assisting with growing our presence at university level, in order for us to offer master thesis opportunities in Stockholm”.

Niek van Vonderen has been with Anderson Macgyver slightly longer – spending more than a year with the firm in Sweden. Originally from the Netherlands, Niek relocated to Stockholm in 2021, to take up a Management Consultant role with the firm – and has found that, like Patrick, he has changed with each transformation he helps execute.

He notes, “This past year, the project that stood out most was an organisational change assignment in the automotive industry. The client requested a target operating model which has been attempted previously with another firm without success. This created pressure for us to try something new.”

“I was in a team of five consultants and to solve the client’s problem we designed a practical approach. We were able to demonstrate tangible results that supported our client tremendously. For me, the big lesson learned was that not everything needs to be invented from scratch. It’s about the art of identifying not only the pain points and obstacles but also the parts of the organisation that need no adjustments, those parts just flow already.”

What it takes

Asked what it takes to become part of the Anderson Macgyver team, Niek highlights the importance for being passionate about “digitalisation and organisational change”, and also note that anyone who is able to “let go of old paradigms,” and possesses “an innate curiosity to learn” can find that Anderson MacGyver is the place for them.

He adds, “It’s a healthy working environment in which the company shows through actions that they care about you and your well-being. It’s interesting to me how much I’ve learned about myself by working intensely with colleagues. Since we are all passionate professionals, sometimes we disagree. It’s during those discussions you get to see what your trigger points are. The challenge then becomes to address these through the art of reflecting and oftentimes, interesting insights come to the surface.”

Onno Wasser is well accustomed to this environment of passionate professionals and healthy disagreements. Having spent seven years with Anderson Macgyver, he also relocated from the Netherlands in 2021 – and now works across the firm’s Stockholm and Dusseldorf offices.

Asked how he has grown since joining the firm, he jokes “by about 10 kilos”, before adding that he has become a Guild lead active in business development and projects in all our three countries.” Across those responsibilities, he has seen many important discussions about the firm, or about servicing its clients, and is therefore well-versed in the skills new arrivals will need to hone to get the most out of their time with Anderson Macgyver.

Onno concludes, “In terms of what kind of characteristics we look for, it is important that candidates are interested in translating business to technology. Having some knowledge of technology – applications, but also the technology stack (infra, databases, etc) also helps. Experience with selecting and implementing business solutions or transition projects as part of a sourcing would help.”

“But most important, you will need to learn how to combine this knowledge of the content with consultancy skills – that is to listen, and to keep on asking important questions, while managing a change process.”

Career opportunities? Anderson MacGyver is continuously on the lookout for new colleagues. See the Anderson MacGyvers jobs page for open positions.