Cecilia has spent her whole career in the construction and property world. After having graduated from Chalmers University of Technology with an MSC in Engineering, followed by a trainee position at Skanska and a variety of roles in Nordic project development, she moved to the UK where she was Vice President of Skanska UK. She was then appointed as MD of Sverigehuset. She was recruited to Stena Fastigheter from Castellum Region Väst.

“I was very proud to be asked and I didn’t have to think for long. For me, Stena Fastigheter stands for a long-term approach. It’s also clear that our relationship management is a success factor in our work on being commercially successful in the long term”, says Cecilia Fasth.

At the same time as Cecilia Fasth settles in in her new role, Stena Fastigheter is in the process of transitioning from being a management company to being a central player in urban development.

“It’s exciting. Our focus is on social sustainability and more new builds in our existing areas. This means that we contribute to the development of the cities where we have a presence”, says Cecilia.

With her previous experience from the UK – which is a leader in social sustainability – Cecilia also hopes to be able to contribute to strengthening and making visible the on-going work concerning sustainable residential environments.

WHAT ARE STENA FASTIGHETER’S LARGEST CHALLENGES?

“It’s a challenge upscaling new production when historically, we have focused a lot on management and in recent years we have seen a sharp increase in outsourcing costs. In my experience, however, there are an enormous number of advantages in having a strong management organisation as a basis with knowledgeable employees and good customer relations when you are going to increase the share of new builds.

We need to continue to focus on our work with security and wellbeing in our areas. The advantage is that Stena Fastigheter is a strong and long-term owner, that we have goals for the development of our areas and tools for dialogue with and commitment to our customers. At the same time, there is an opportunity to make our mark on the agenda. That appeals to me”, Says Cecilia Fasth.

We will need to increase our proactive sales efforts in the organization in the future when we produce tenant-owner apartments. Here, too, I see the benefit of our know-how when it comes to commercial properties where there is experience of sales work in tough competition as the customers often have a large number of premises to choose between”.

BEGAN THE YEAR ON THE ROAD

Cecilia Fasth began working in the office in Gothenburg in January 2018 and has since visited in quick succession Stena Fastigheter’s different companies and personnel. When SfärNytt asked her what she is like as a boss, she laughed but at the same time she was quite clear about how she wants to work.

“Naturally, it’s always difficult to describe oneself. I practice teamwork and I like diversified teams, different ages and different backgrounds. Keeping the team together can be challenging, but if you succeed it usually leads to better results. It’s important to have common goals and work towards achieving them. I’ve been given a very warm reception and the organization has a big heart. Stena Fastigheter is a popular employer, which can be seen both internally and when visiting customers. It feels good to be on the team. I want to contribute to us continuing to be best in Sweden at relationship management, to be a significant player in urban development and improve the cities where we are active”, says Cecilia.