Published 2022-10-31

A day with the CEO of Schibsted – a mutual knowledge exchange

 

How is life as a CEO for one of the most well-known businesses in the Nordics? That is something the student, Anine Johnsen, has found out. Anine is a young entrepreneur who got the opportunity to shadow the CEO of Schibsted, Kristin Skogen Lund, for an exciting day in October at our head office in Oslo.

Every year, Ungt Entreprenørskap in Norway carries through the program “Leader for a day,” where young, aspiring leaders are matched with a top senior manager of a relevant company or organisation. This year, the program presented 25 hand-picked young management talents from all over the country. The talents have had a Youth Business or Student Business with Young Entrepreneurship, and are selected based on their achievements.

By spending a day with the CEO of a well-known business or organisation, students learn the level of responsibility and the complexities required for today’s leading executives, while also getting a feel for how these leaders create value in their organisations. It is also an opportunity for CEOs to connect with- and better understand what drives the next generation. For Schibsted and Kristin Skogen Lund, it was an obvious decision to participate.

“I believe Schibsted, as a large company and employer, have a responsibility to share with young people what it’s like to work with us, and thus give them a glimpse of what the future can hold. But as importantly, it’s a very insightful experience for us. I always learn a lot when I meet people whose backgrounds or life experiences differ from mine. And I always find it really interesting to get a young person’s perspective on what we do.

A key takeaway is the sheer number of really good questions Anine asked. I’m impressed with her level of engagement and insights, and learned a lot about how we’re perceived among younger people, and how they view what we do and what we communicate,” Kristin says.

Anine Johnsen was matched to shadow Kristin for a day on the 20th of October. She is currently in her last year at Ski VGS, where she is enrolled in general studies with Entrepreneurship as an elective subject.

“We started the day by planning the next “All hands” meeting for all Schibsted employees. Thereafter, I observed a meeting about the annual outlook Future Report 2023, which was very interesting. After having lunch, I got a tour of Finn and VG to see how they function and how they operate. The day ended with a panel discussion about “Eliter I endring” where Kristin participated,” Anine says.

The aim of “Leader for a day” is to give young people a glimpse into the leadership role and motivate them to take the step themselves.

“I got a good insight into what it is like to be a top leader and how much important work Schibsted does. It was a hectic day, but also very interesting and valuable. I met a lot of competent people throughout my day at Schibsted and I gained a lot of experience. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to participate in “Leader for a day” and I had a really good time with Kristin and her co-workers,” Anine says.