Interview with Fredrik Strömholm

Can you tell us a little about what you’re doing today and what you’re most focused on right now?

I am the managing partner of Impilo, a private equity firm that we started 10 years ago, focused on investments in Nordic healthcare companies. I am mainly focused on supporting my fellow partners and colleagues in evaluating new investments and in developing the portfolio companies that we already have, and, in particular, in ensuring that we have the right leadership in these, both executive and non-executive management.

What do you find most exciting or rewarding about your work?

I really appreciate the diversity of the topics and projects that I am exposed to, reviewing new healthcare segments and companies, and getting to know new people. Healthcare is quite innovative and people involved in healthcare are often very passionate about addressing unmet needs, their innovative products and opportunities, and they are typically curious and very driven, which makes the industry very exciting.

Thinking back to when you started at SSE, what were your dreams and what did you imagine your future would look like?

My primary objective was to get a very good education, and I did not have a very clear view of what to do after the SSE, with industry, the foreign service, and banking all appearing to offer attractive opportunities.

Having worked with companies and entrepreneurs for many years, what have you come to believe really makes the difference between a good company and a great one?

I believe that great companies are stronger than good ones in a few areas: (i) clear and ambitious long-term objectives that, importantly, have been aligned between owners, Board and management, and that are understood by the full organization, (ii) a strong Board and management team; we insist on a professional assessment of the set-up and review the team’s suitability once a year, (iii) transparent and quick reporting to ensure that key stakeholders can see the same underlying results and metrics in order to spend meetings focusing on what to do, instead of trying to figure out what has happened, and lastly (iv) that decisions are made for continuous development in the medium- or long-term, ie not trying to optimize for the short term.

What is one of your favorite memories from your time at SSE?

There are many memorable moments from those years, but a fun memory was the Swedish student championship in economics for all universities in 1989, that year held in Linköping, where I was part of the SSE’s three-person winning team, bringing home the coveted prize (including a fax machine!).  The SSE had not participated for a few years, seeking to live off its reputation without having to compete, so there was clearly some pressure now that we were present. While we secured the win within the business and economics field, we gained an extra lead by correctly answering the question of who had written “Bombi Bitt och Jag” – we were FREE already then…The finals took place on the same day as the SSE’s annual banquet, and the victory could be announced during the festive dinner. I can still recall the feeling when we arrived to join the party in the basement close to midnight that Friday evening!

In what ways do you still feel connected to SSE today?

I feel connected to the SSE in many ways; on a few occasions I have presented a review of our approach to value creation with case studies to master’s students. Every year I support a few new bachelor students through a program, the SSE Alumni Scholarship for Bachelor studies, which we started in 2021, and I have also contributed to the Future Faculty Fund, where meeting the selected professors is an interesting learning experience. In addition, there are various networking events, and Impilo normally has a few interns from the SSE every year.

What is the best career advice you have received, and what advice would you give to current SSE students?

Perhaps the best advice has been to focus on learning and building experience rather than applying to ‘cool’ firms or institutions just because other students rate them highly. This means seeking positions for what you can learn and focusing on what interests you, trying not to get sidetracked by prestige and the stress from other students.

If you had to choose three words to describe what has helped you get to where you are today, what would they be?

Maybe someone else should judge this, but perhaps curiosity, humility and stamina have been central themes.