I was back at my alma mater, Lund University, where I once took my degree in Business Administration, to try to give something back from what life as a CFO has taught me.
The Lund University offers a one year interdisciplinary master’s degree program in entrepreneurship, where one track is New Venture Creation. Students are being trained in entrepreneurship by creating their own businesses and by building teams in real life situations, while also taking courses. The education is action-oriented and designed in close collaboration with mentors and guest speakers from the business world. Another advantage is the proximity to the innovation system around the Lund University, as Ideon, Sweden’s first science park with nearly 300 companies, mainly in IT, clean tech and life science.
Since the entrepreneurship program has about 1000 applicants to its 50 places the University can choose top students. The program attracts students from many different places both in terms of educational background and nationality, and today the majority of these future entrepreneurs have international background. My lecture was part of the course Managing New Venture Growth, which Frédéric Delmar, Professor in Entrepreneurship, is in charge of. I like his reflection after my lecture:
Frédéric Delmar
– Since we today are so strongly focused on new markets and business models, it is fun to show the students that there is a lot happening in established markets, which aren’t considered equivalently hot. In Sweden, Securitas is as close to Apple as it gets when it comes to growth! Few companies have made such a journey and Håkan’s story also shows that good financial knowledge is essential.
Some students questioned Securitas’ Toolbox. Do such simple solutions really work? Yes. Securitas was built and continues to be built with the help of a wooden box. From a Swedish company with 900 MSEK in turnover in 1985 to a world leader in security with 80 MRDSEK in turnover in more than 50 countries.
For me, it was inspiring to meet with the future entrepreneurs in the New Venture Creation master’s program. It is clear that they have ended up in the right place. Almost half of those who have completed this educational track are running their own businesses today, and half of these companies are based on ideas created during the program.
The Lund University is at the forefront – and has been for 350 years! In December starts a year-long celebration of the 350th anniversary. Congratulations!
Securitas´ management model, known as the Tool
box, assists line managers in all areas of their daily operations and ensures that Securitas’ values, work methods, management philosophy and customer perspective are shared throughout the organization. A key function of the Toolbox is to convey the corporate culture and create a common platform, which is primarily symbolized by a focus on Securitas’ values: Integrity, Vigilance and Helpfulness
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