Lisa Johnsson
CMO Business Trainee

What made you apply for the trainee role at Telenor Sweden?
The telco industry is super interesting, there are so many things happening and there is a constant motion forward! It’s an industry characterized by innovation and that’s something that I find fascinating. I also think the setup of the trainee program is quite unique, as you get to follow an experienced leader and really learn their trade. It’s really a privilege for newly graduated students to be able to have that kind of exposure.

Give a brief summary of the role you have – what is it about?
As I am the CMO Business Trainee I’m following Mats Almgren, our Business CMO. This means I get to follow him to a lot of interesting meetings and be part of the Business management team. This has been very educational and it has given me a very good understanding of how all the different parts of the business organization work together. Working this closely with experienced leaders also gives you a really good lesson in leadership. Not only how you motivate and work with peoples’ strengths, but also how you handle difficulties and find solutions. I also have my ongoing trainee tasks that include a lot of preparations for meetings and analyses for reports and other material that my leaders need. In parallel to this, I’m a part of a really cool transformation project, which is very rewarding since I get to work with colleagues from sales, operations and strategy just to name a few.

What is the best of being a trainee at Telenor?
The amazing colleagues! The company culture here is really great. My new colleagues are very ambitious, knowledgeable and truly nice people. I am never afraid to ask if there is something I do not understand yet, it is a perfect mix. Other great things are all the interesting meetings and discussions you take part of. From day one, you are all of a sudden in situations where the colleagues around you have long experience and a lot of knowledge about the telco industry and how you do business in general. It is actually quite impressing.

What are your biggest challenges so far as a trainee?
My biggest challenge this far has been to juggle many tasks at the same time and to understand what is more important to spend time on. That’s hard in the beginning when you don’t have your own estimation of how long a certain task takes, or how important it is. I have solved it by having an open dialogue with my leader and my colleagues, but also by being frank with myself and realizing – OK, this is enough now. You have to think 80/20.

What career opportunities, short term and long term, can you see that the trainee program can give you?
The trainee program is a great way to start your career on at Telenor, since you get an understanding of Telenor from a holistic view. I believe this will be a real benefit when it is time for me to consider the next step. You also get many personal connections around the organization, since you meet a lot of people as a trainee. This has actually already been helpful for me. The fact that so many trainees have chosen to stay long after their trainee year was over, I think says a lot about the trainee program and Telenor as an employer.

What would you say to the person that is currently considering applying for trainee next year?
My first three months has been challenging and a lot of fun! And I seriously doubt that I have ever learned so much during such a short period of time. If you are a person who wants to be challenged and crave to learn new things from really smart and cool people – apply! This is an amazing opportunity to gain insight into a fascinating company that never sleeps. You have nothing to lose and everything to win.