The Growth Pod

Genero
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The Growth Pod

The Growth Pod is brought to you by Genero, a leading growth agency in the Nordics. We interview marketing experts, business leaders, and entrepreneurs to uncover the stories and strategies behind profitable growth. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com

  1. #58: Building Europe's top leadership event with Nordic Business Forum co-founder Hans-Peter Siefen

    JAN 30

    #58: Building Europe's top leadership event with Nordic Business Forum co-founder Hans-Peter Siefen

    Nordic Business Forum started with evening seminars in Jyväskylä and grew into one of Europe’s leading leadership and business events. We sat down with CEO & Co-founder Hans-Peter Siefen to talk about navigating the pandemic, building an unforgettable customer experience, and what it takes to run a world-class event. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.nbforum.com/ (0:00) Introduction (1:35) The early days of NBF (10:15) Getting Al Gore as a speaker (15:20) Scaling NBF into Europe's top leadership event (20:00) Sales, rejection, and the mindset for success (28:10) Creating an unforgettable customer experience (31:20) Surviving the lockdown (37:45) Virtual, hybrid and in-person events (47:50) Why leadership is difficult and lessons from great leaders

    55 min
  2. #57: Risto Siilasmaa – lessons from dot-com bubble, transforming Nokia, and investing in unicorns

    12/19/2024

    #57: Risto Siilasmaa – lessons from dot-com bubble, transforming Nokia, and investing in unicorns

    Risto Siilasmaa co-founded F-Secure in 1988 at just 22, and later became Finland’s richest person during the dot-com bubble. As chairman of Nokia, he led the transformation of the company from a struggling handset maker to a global leader in network infrastructure. He has one of the best startup investment track records, with multiple unicorns in this portfolio. In this episode, Risto shares 30+ years of insights on entrepreneurship, leadership, and tech. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/siilasmaa/ (0:00) Introduction (0:55) Starting F-Secure: early challenges and IPO (8:50) The dot-com bubble and how money changes people (24:50) Tough decisions and building resilience (34:20) Nokia: crisis, disruption, and transformation (58:53) Investing in unicorns and how to spot great founders (1:12:35) Future tech trends: AI, quantum computing and clean energy

    1h 20m
  3. #56: Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae - what successful CEOs and leadership teams do

    11/28/2024

    #56: Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae - what successful CEOs and leadership teams do

    Sanna Suvanto-Harsaae is one of the most respected and sought-after business leaders in the Nordics. She currently chairs the boards of companies like Finnair, BoConcept, and Posti Group. We discuss the six essentials and superpowers that drive leadership success. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sannasuvantoharsaae (0:00) Introduction (1:30) How to lead yourself (12:00) Why results matter and how to achieve them (26:40) How to keep learning and avoid stagnation (35:29) Future orientation: stop fault-finding, start forward-thinking (40:40) The most important thing (50:25) Why fun and trust make teams perform better (58:19) Europe’s challenges and lessons from Denmark

    1h 10m
  4. #55: Building Europe’s most loved hospitality brand with Bob W. CEO Niko Karstikko

    11/14/2024

    #55: Building Europe’s most loved hospitality brand with Bob W. CEO Niko Karstikko

    Bob W. is a fast-growing, profitable startup that’s raised €70 million to transform hospitality through technology. What began as an Airbnb side hustle is now Europe’s top-rated hospitality brand, operating in 10 countries. We sat down with CEO and co-founder Niko Karstikko to discuss their incredible growth journey. Learn more: https://bobw.co/ https://generogrowth.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikokarstikko/ (0:00) Introduction (0:30) From corporate life to entrepreneurship (3:15) How an Airbnb side hustle and travels in Asia sparked the idea for Bob W. (7:45) Finding a German co-founder (12:30) Lessons learned from his first startup (16:30) The insight and journey to finding product-market fit (21:30) Building a leaner, tech-powered model for hospitality (25:00) Early challenges: water damage, bad press, and starting up in Estonia (30:00) Navigating the pandemic (33:50) Raising €100 million in funding (40:02) Expansion and customer acquisition (51:40) Growing as a CEO: building a strong team and creating the right work culture

    1h 2m
  5. #54: Building the world’s fastest-growing boat brand with Saxdor CEO Erna Rusi

    10/25/2024

    #54: Building the world’s fastest-growing boat brand with Saxdor CEO Erna Rusi

    Saxdor is the world’s fastest-growing boat brand. We sat down with CEO Erna Rusi to discuss the journey to 100 million euros in revenue, scaling a team of over 600, driving innovation, and building a global brand. This podcast was recorded live at a Genero Growth Event. Learn more: https://saxdor.com/ https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/erna-rusi-b677a25b/ (0:00) Introduction (0:45) Erna’s journey from telecom to boating CEO (3:11) The Steve Jobs of boating (5:07) Demand creation vs. demand capture (7:17) Managing the operational challenges of growing to 100 million euros (10:28) Capital efficiency and financial discipline (13:15) Building a strong team culture with 600 people (17:10) Global expansion, innovation, and customer experience (32:37) Being fast in actions and decisionmaking (34:30) The best and the worst parts of being a CEO

    38 min
  6. #53: Growth & dialogue in the stakeholder economy with Miltton's Fredrik Heinonen

    09/26/2024

    #53: Growth & dialogue in the stakeholder economy with Miltton's Fredrik Heinonen

    Fredrik Heinonen is a partner and Deputy Managing Director at Miltton, a Nordic consultancy specializing in communications, insight, and strategy. We discuss the agency’s journey from 4 to 400 employees, navigating the different phases of growth, the rising importance of stakeholder management, effective communication in a noisy world, attracting top talent, and more. Learn more: https://miltton.com/ https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrik-heinonen-42a58b1/ (0:00) Introduction (1:18) The early days of Miltton (5:15) Why is Sweden so good at communications and marketing? (8:10) Attracting and retaining talent (13:45) Internal communications at Miltton (19:15) The stakeholder economy (22:30) Developing insights that drive strategy (25:15) How to communicate effectively in this day and age

    39 min
  7. #52: Building a European food powerhouse with Paulig CEO Rolf Ladau

    08/29/2024

    #52: Building a European food powerhouse with Paulig CEO Rolf Ladau

    Rolf Ladau is the CEO of Paulig, a 148-year-old family-owned food company. We discuss the fundamentals of consumer branding, growth playbooks, the business case for sustainability, how Santa Maria grew to become the European leader in Tex-Mex and more. Learn more: https://paulig.com/ https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolf-ladau-458b892 (0:00) Introduction (1:10) Working at Unilever, P&G, Coca-Cola and more (4:15) How to build and maintain world-class consumer brands (11:40) Do brands spend too little on marketing? (14:25) Becoming the CEO of Paulig (20:30) Santa Maria’s growth journey, playbooks, and the future of snacking (33:07) How Paulig has succeded for 148 years (40:15) The art and science of brand positioning (46:05) Feedback loops and learning from mistakes  (49:33) The business case for sustainability

    59 min
  8. #51: Wolt COO Marianne Vikkula on leadership, operational excellence and hiring

    08/15/2024

    #51: Wolt COO Marianne Vikkula on leadership, operational excellence and hiring

    Marianne Vikkula joined Wolt as a small startup with fewer than 100 employees. Today she’s the COO, overseeing a global operation with 10,000+ people across 27 countries. We discuss operational excellence, how to hire well, lessons learned from DoorDash, and how leaders can increase speed, raise the bar for quality, and narrow the focus. Learn more: https://wolt.com/ https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mvikkula (0:00) Introduction (1:08) Marianne’s background and why she joined Wolt (4:42) Operational excellence and bringing energy into an organization (10:34) Increasing speed (17:07) Raising the bar of quality (25:30) Narrowing the focus (32:24) Doing hard things (37:45) How to grow and develop as a leader (41:25) Lessons learned from DoorDash after the acquisition (47:57) How to hire (57:56) The future of Wolt

    1h 1m
See All (58)

About

The Growth Pod is brought to you by Genero, a leading growth agency in the Nordics. We interview marketing experts, business leaders, and entrepreneurs to uncover the stories and strategies behind profitable growth. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com

Information

  • Creator
    Genero
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Genero
  • Show Website
    The Growth Pod

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