Etraveli CEO to discuss how Sweden may produce and keep talents to support growth – with CNN TV profile
Etraveli CEO Mathias Hedlund will attend the CNN Scandinavian Tour panel debate at Uppsala University on September 30, 2014. During the debate Hedlund aims to emphasize the need for governmental efforts to attract qualified workforce and talents to the company’s residential town Uppsala in particular. The debate will be held with several reputable business profiles involved and moderated by the international CNN anchor and international business correspondent Richard Quest.
CNN Scandinavian Tour is a regular tour with the CNN host and commentator Richard Quest visiting Scandinavia universities to discuss various economic issues with prominent politicians, business leaders and journalists from the country. The theme of the panel debate this year is Competitiveness: How Sweden should do Business in the Big Bad World.
“We see a rapidly increasing globalization and transparency of available goods and services. Competition is fierce. For companies, good is not good enough – excellent is. Swedish companies will have to become better in bringing in new competences, mixing up boards, management and staff with old and young, men and women, different nationalities and geographical experiences. Successful companies will have one thing in common; motivated members of staff that are prepared to walk the extra mile, that values challenges and change”, says Mathias Hedlund, CEO of Etraveli, ahead of the panel discussion.
Etraveli has its main office in Uppsala – a city that the company sees as a good platform for its operations going forward. But an online company such as Etraveli could be driven from anywhere in Europe, so to successfully survive and thrive in increasing global competition the company need to continue to attract talent to the company and to for example Uppsala.
“We as a company will of course take our responsibility to develop our business and strengthen our competitiveness by attracting the best talents – but governmental efforts are needed to support us. Hence the wish list to a Swedish government consists of trains that operate on time to facilitate commute, a qualified workforce that has had excellent education all the way from elementary school to university and the ability to get talent to return to Sweden, and in our case Uppsala, after they have experienced the world”, Mathias Hedlund says.
He continues: “We need politicians that understand how to secure fiscal responsibility and economic stability while working actively to mitigate previous shortcomings within education, housing and integration to support citizens and businesses.”
For more information please contact:
Mathias Hedlund, CEO, phone: 46 (0) 706 66 37 58,
e-mail: mathias.hedlund@etraveli.com
Marléne Wallberg Banffy, CCO, phone: 46 (0) 733 12 80 90
e-mail: marlene.wallberg@etraveli.com
About Etraveli
Etraveli (publ) is the leading Nordic online travel agent (OTA) with a wide range of airline tickets, hotel accommodation and other travel related services. The company operates in 25 countries through brands such as Supersaver/Supersavertravel, Gotogate, Travelstart and the meta-search services Flygresor.se and Charter.se in Sweden. Etraveli is one of the five largest aircentric online travel agents in Europe, and in 2013 it intermediated air tickets and related services to an amount exceeding SEK 7 billion, with revenue of more than SEK 500 million. The company headquartered is in Uppsala, Sweden and is owned by the private equity fund Segulah IV, LP and senior management.
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