American inventor and businessman Thomas Edison once said: “There is no substitute for hard work.”
As CPO and CTO at Nordnet, the host of STHLM TECH and a Board Member of Lunar Way, Tuva Palm certainly knows the value of working hard to achieve your goals. Being one of the speakers at the eee-days of LundaEkonomerna, she arrives eager to share some of the lessons learned throughout her career. Nådiga Lundtan got a chance to talk to her in connection to her lecture at Ekonomicentrum in Lund.
Tuva, very welcome to Lund! To start off, could you tell us a bit about your career path? Did your family and friends have an impact or have you always gone your own way?
(Tuva laughs). My parents were wonderful when I grew up, but they had nothing to do with my choice of profession. My mother was an artist, and my father was a rockstar, which might make you understand how I have always gone my own way. Naturally, your environment can have an impact on your decisions in life, but essentially, it is up to you as an individual to do what it is that you want.
Today, you are the CPO and CTO at Nordnet, and you have previously worked as the Director of Product at the department of Consumer & Issuing at Klarna. What is the best thing about your job?
Hands down, the opportunity to make a change. Not to mention the digital shift that is ahead of us, which makes it extra stimulating.
What are some of the qualities you search for in a future employee?
I have always affirmed the principle of giving young people a chance in terms of preserving the corporate culture, and I think more companies should. I would rank skills such as being social, up for new challenges, and perhaps the most important, having fun at work, as important as well.
What would you say is the best way to deal with negative feedback?
What one needs to understand is that, as a beginner, you are not going to be good at everything. The quicker you realize that, the better. It is about staying humble, and seeing every new day as an opportunity to do better than you did yesterday.
Corporate culture is a well- used term these days. What aspects do you see as important when creating an optimal corporate culture?
What I have realized more and more over time, is that it is the small things that makes the difference. Letting my team go out on an after work once in a while, and letting them bond outside of work will also create a good atmosphere at work. Moreover, hearing everyone out, and not drawing the conclusion that the younger ones are those with the least ideas.
Your field of work is sometimes described as rather male-dominated. Is that something you see as a problem?
Sure, people have had preconceptions of me because I was female. However, instead of letting that get to me, I have always strived towards turning it around to something positive. Think of it like this: If you are a woman in a male-dominated industry, people will remember you. When I was to walk into a room with 10 men and myself, I never saw it as me being the only woman, I saw it as a chance to prove myself. Just changing your attitude will get you a long way.
Finally, if you were to give the students at Lund University some words of advice for the future, what would those be?
Accept and embrace your mistakes. And work hard, because if you do, you can be your own boss in the future.
