When Annika Thernsjö faced a major technical challenge, she chose an unexpected solution. In a collaboration with Unicus, she hired a consultant who not only solved the problem—but did so in a way that inspired the entire team. In this article, Annika shares what made the collaboration successful.
Annika Thernsjö is the manager of a team within SEB Technology. She first got in contact with Unicus in 2018 and had a positive experience with the solutions that Unicus provided. Last fall, when she was looking for an IT consultant with .NET expertise to work on testing and development, she once again turned to the same provider:
“There was a consultant who used to work on this application, but he left two years earlier,” she explains. “They thought the team could manage without him, but nothing got done. That’s when I realized—this is perfect for a Unicus consultant!”
As soon as Annika got the idea, she called Malin Allard at Unicus to explain the situation. She stresses the importance of being clear about what you are looking for in terms of the assignment’s scope and the required skills. That’s why she had several conversations with Malin to find the right match. After two months on site, the new consultant was basically done with the documentation and trials in the application’s test environment. The parts that no one else could handle, he figured out on his own.
“This is truly about embracing the entire assignment,” says Annika. “He pieced everything together to solve the coding problem, and I think it was incredibly well done by him.”
Annika looks back on a long career at SEB, always within IT, and over the past decade, as a leader. When we asked why Unicus has been such an important collaboration partner, she says:
“I think it’s fun to work with people who are different from myself. When everyone is allowed to express their thoughts and share their own ideas, that’s when we find these great solutions.”
To embrace each other’s differences, Annika highlights the importance of communication, clarity, and giving plenty of positive feedback. She believes that everyone needs it, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. The support from the consultant managers have been a valuable and helpful sounding board throughout the collaboration.
“I think Unicus has such an accommodating team that supports you all the way; they ask all the right questions to ensure a proper match.”
When Annika got in touch with Unicus, she worked for SEB’s pension and insurance division. They had outdated systems whose administrators and developers had retired. She was left without the necessary expertise, and no one succeeded in grasping the application despite several attempts. That’s when Annika remembered a seminar she had attended with a consulting company where all the consultants have autism—and it gave her an idea.
“It struck me that my challenge might suit someone skilled at digging deep and finding things out independently,” she explains. “Someone with the ability to absorb vast amounts of information and turn it into something coherent.”
And that’s exactly what happened. The team she led at the time was initially hesitant: What would it mean to bring in a consultant with autism? Annika decided to conduct a risk analysis to address concerns regarding communication, delivery, and results. Those concerns quickly turned into admiration when the biggest difference turned out to be that the consultant ate lunch twice a day—because he was a morning person and always got to the office early.
“Pretty soon, everyone realized that we had brought in an amazing person—someone who picked up new information, was a fast learner, and always said, ‘I can give it a try.’ It was a positive attitude that rubbed off on everyone,” Annika continues.
During the conversation with Annika, it is obvious that dedication is a guiding principle for driving real change. When we talk about her work, she easily sees the possibilities—a truly positive trait that is contagious. One example of this is that she made sure that the expanded management team, which includes her boss, will receive a presentation from Unicus with visits from SEB team managers who already have Unicus consultants on their teams.
“We often say that we shouldn’t hire consultants,” says Annika. “But this is a different solution. If you get everything to work, these consultants will stay for a long time.”
At SEB, they have long embraced transformative leadership, which involves continuously adapting to change. Annika sees the combination of a strong team mindset—where people talk to each other and receive feedback on their work—as the key to effective teams. On March 31, Annika will retire and is looking forward to spending more time with her family and enjoying outdoor activities.
“I enjoy ice skating, skiing, and kayaking. And I have four grandchildren—the youngest is 2.5 years old and the oldest is 13. So now I’ll have more time for them,” she says with a big smile.
On behalf of Unicus, we wish Annika all the best and thank her for a great collaboration.