Fredrik Magnusson

About Fredrik

Fredrik has been extremely successful in the fields of product design and innovation. Thinking outside the box, making accurate analyses and seeing the potential in all types of organisations are just some of his skills. He’s seen many companies with good ideas, as well as some whose ideas unfortunately never become a reality. He knows how difficult it is to create and lead your own innovation teams, and what it takes to dare to invest in the unknown, and prioritise correctly between day-to-day tasks and business development.

He’s increasingly seeing companies failing to appreciate the value of investing in sustainable product and service development. It’s an area with enormous potential for commercial success, for those who dare to venture there.

Fredrik spends much of his time analysing different sectors and thinking about how they need to change. Today, he sells innovations proactively, and doesn’t just sit and wait for companies to come calling. His company develops self-financed product and patent portfolios for companies that he’s identified as possessing the right infrastructure and with the optimal channels for reaching the end customer.

In his own company ‘Roder’ he’s created a special environment which forms a testing ground for innovations and innovative methods. This is because he sees the need to develop new concepts, but also knows from his own experience, how difficult it can be to pursue innovation internally – to create, lead and maintain an innovative culture.

He also makes sure he talks about what’s often a crucial factor when it comes to innovation – risk. There are always a number of unknown aspects to deal with and you don’t always have control over where your decisions take you. Here, Fredrik can’t stress enough the importance of working with risk mitigation. It’s an absolutely crucial piece of the puzzle, that’s necessary for reaching the finish line. Fredrik’s fifteen point list for a risk mitigated innovation process is a cheat sheet that all managers should have in their pockets.

On his list of accomplishments, Fredrik boasts a number of different international design awards. He transformed Propeller into a world-leading design agency, has been a consultant for over 12 years in various industries and Global Design Director at Fiskars Group and Ericsson. He has managed over five hundred projects in medium-sized firms and large companies.

These days Fredrik keeps a slightly lower profile, as he sits back, observes and listens. Creative work is really about navigating different environments, and creating a fair image of conditions and desires. He asks simple questions but also likes to challenge people: for example, he thinks that a bad statement is better than a good question, in that it triggers a genuine reaction. His interest in the future and business is contagious and he’s a fantastic source of inspiration. It has also made him successful in attracting several of the best in the field to his teams.

That Fredrik is really passionate about sustainable products and services comes not only from his interest in nature, but because he realises the benefits for business. He sees great opportunities for Swedish industry because Sweden is already so far ahead.

Expertise

• Building successful innovative teams
• Creating commercial successes
• Innovation and design
• Product development (software and hardware)
• Risk mitigation
• Strategy and navigation

Career highlights

• HOUDINI SPORTSWEARSom tidig investerare och aktiv styrelseledamot var Fredrik högst involverad i hållbarhetsarbetet för Houdini Sportswear
• ERICSSONGlobal Designchef
• FiskarsGlobal Design Director
• DELEGATION FÖR CIRKULÄR EKONOMIExpert inom cirkulära designprinciper i regeringens delegation för cirkulär ekonomi

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