“Get to know the people – they are the heart of the company”

Maria Karlsson, Business Model Architect and Service Designer, is part of driving the digital change in DeLaval. Read more about her initial time in our company as well as her ambitions going forward.

Maria joined DeLaval in May 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She joined the newly formed Digital Services organisation in DeLaval as a Business Model Architect and Service Designer. Maria brings a lot of experience from previous companies where she has been a driving force in many IT related solutions and business changes. Some of the companies include Husqvarna, Scania, Telia and Ericsson.

“DeLaval is on a journey to offer more digital solutions and becoming a service provider, evolving what we offer to our customers and new business models to facilitate that. This is a journey of change which I find extremely interesting to be part of shaping. I get a chance to contribute with learnings from other industries and companies who have made similar journeys,” Maria says.

So how was the experience of starting at DeLaval when all office people were working from home and one could not meet with the new colleagues in person? Even though this is a challenge, Maria had a good experience thanks to her dedicated team.

“A colleague and I started at the same time during the pandemic when all restrictions were put in place. This resulted in that we met with almost all our new colleagues over Skype and Teams. I was very positively surprised by the warm welcoming that I got from all the people I met. In addition, I really appreciated the openness to try new ways of doing business model workshops online. I must say that this has been the best experience so far in my career,” says Maria.

She continues, “All this resulted in me feeling very welcomed and quickly felt that I was part of the team, even though everything was through online meetings and workshops. Once I got to meet with some close colleagues outdoors, I felt a huge energy boost. This also showed me that we can manage change, even under such trying circumstances like these.”

Thanks to this open welcome to the company, Maria really feel that the people make what is so special with DeLaval. “If you are interested in joining an exciting company that is on a digital journey, DeLaval is a great place to be. Make sure to network and get to know the people – they are the heart of the company. Know them and you know DeLaval.”

Going forward, Maria has a couple of projects she is looking forward to a bit extra. “First, I want to develop a customer-centric offer portfolio where Digital Services finds a natural place in creating added value to our different customer segments. Secondly, I want to be part of developing DeLaval’s channels for the whole customer journey, and the partnerships required for making that customer journey successful. Dealers are key here, but also new digital channels which will also strengthen dealers’ businesses with us,” Maria concludes.

Thank you for sharing your story so far at DeLaval, Maria, and we look forward to hearing more from you and Digital Services going forward!