Björn Ekstedt has more than 20 years’ experience as a C-level executive, whereof 15 years in market leading, global, multibillion € corporations as an IT executive. 10 of those years in CIO positions where he has reported to the CEO and been a member of the executive management most of the time. Björn has held positions such as Chief Business IT Architect, Head of IT Operations, Business CIO, Business Transformation Executive and Group CIO positions in three different companies. He has had management responsibility for more than 1000 employees (+ consultants) worldwide over all continents with very large budgets and internal P&L of up to €300M. He has a solid experience in leadership and strategy after a successful career in the Armed Forces. He reached the rank colonel and served as Chief Controller reporting to the Supreme Commander for several years.
Björn has been responsible for delivering all sorts of digital and IT projects in close alignment with the business. He has been driving the development of digital solutions, digitized the core IT as a central part of enabling Group strategy and driving extensive business transformations. In the Armed Forces he was a central capacity in the required organizational and culture transformation that took place early in the new millennium.
In the sourcing area he has led several large outsourcing initiatives, also insourced significant infrastructure deliveries when not living up to expectations and initiated the establishment of both near and off shoring centers. In addition, Björn has also reorganized, downsized, shifted business and IT development and delivery into agile (using SAFe), secured business alignment, developed the financial steering and IT value capture (together with CFOs), stabilized IT services, rearchitected, decommissioned and replaced legacy, etc. In short, Björn has been responsible for executing most type of developments, changes and transformations within the business-IT space one or several times in very complex organizational and business environments
Björn is an experienced executive advisor regarding different business and IT transformation and change matters with several very large businesses and startups as clients.
Björn holds an MSc in Industrial Engineering from Linköping University and an MBA from Warwick Business School in addition to his military education including the Advanced Command Program at the Swedish National Defence College.
