Sofa Talks Mattias Heurlin
Strong foundation
In Sofa Talks, our series of interviews with people connected to Furninova, we spoke with Mattias Heurlin, the company’s new Managing Director. During our conversation, we discussed topics such as the future, our vision, and even a bit about frisbee.
My name is Mattias Heurlin. I was born and raised in Sundsvall, in the north of Sweden. After living in Stockholm for the last 18 years, we decided as a family to reallocate to Skummeslöv on the Swedish west coast when the opportunity to join Furninova came up. After our move during the summer, we have already settled down, and my two kids love the new life with their new friends and the beach around the corner.
Since I grew up close to the forest and with a lot of snow during the winters, my heart is in the outdoors, where we as a family spend a lot of time year around.
I have gained extensive experience from various industries, including Fast-Moving Consumer Goods and the sporting goods industry. My professional journey began with sales and other commercial roles and progressed to several managerial positions. Recently, I held the position of CEO at Elevenate AB, a top ski and outdoor apparel company, for four years before joining Furninova.
I have always had an open mindset to change and challenge the status quo to develop businesses further. This mindset was especially tested during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russian/Ukrainian war, when circumstances rapidly changed and required quick adaptation and decision-making. It wasn’t always easy, but with the support of a strong team, we were able to rethink strategies and successfully navigate through these difficult times, emerging even stronger than before.
Furninova has an impressive history and heritage and a fantastic team that has steered it to where it is today. Furninova has a strength in its innovative and high-quality furniture designs, which is also a key factor in our future growth and success. In terms of potential, Furninova has a great opportunity to expand its market reach and increase its customer base. The demand for stylish and sustainable furniture is high, and Furninova can capitalise on this trend by continuing to develop innovative designs and expanding its distribution channels.
The company has a strong foundation for continued growth. As we advance, we will continue to develop ourselves as individuals and as a team to meet new circumstances in a rapidly changing world and strive always to be the best supplier and partner in the industry.
First, being new on the job, I will take the time to deeply understand and appreciate Furninova’s existing culture, values, and traditions. Furninova’s culture will be respected, while elements of my leadership style will be incorporated to align with its values. This may include promoting open communication, fostering a change and a growth mindset, and encouraging collaboration across departments.
It plays a crucial role and has been vital to take us to where we are today. Through thoughtful design and a further development of existing products, Furninova can adjust its offer to customer needs: adapting to changing preferences and trends. This will help the company distinguish itself, safeguard quality and functionality, promote sustainability, and adapt to changing market trends. With a production site within the organisation, we can also act fast to market.
We have learned in the past few years that the world is changing rapidly, and as a result, so are the needs of our customers. We must stay closely connected to the market through collaborations with our current and future partners and, at the same time, the end consumers of our products. By building a strong global network of agents, we can better understand the needs and expectations of our different markets. This will allow us to continually improve our products and services, ensuring we remain competitive and contemporary.
Our ongoing efforts involve persistently evaluating and improving our practices. Different areas such as industry leading certifications to logistics solutions are areas we continually revise and assess. One of the targets we are currently working on is developing a platform for sustainable fabrics, which is expected to be fully operational in the coming years.
The long-term vision for Furninova is to grow into a globally recognised company in the furniture industry. We aim to expand our presence in both new and existing markets, and we will continue developing strong partnerships with retailers and distributors worldwide, which is vital in building a strong brand.
We will be focusing on and constantly developing our sustainable practices to reduce our carbon footprint while providing our end consumers with furniture that enriches their lives for many years.
We believe that the end consumer should always be our top priority and we strive to keep up with their changing needs and desires. Our team is made up of motivated individuals and we prioritize recognizing and developing their skills to provide the best service possible. It’s important for our customers to have a good dialogue with the end consumer, and we aim to achieve this by staying up to date with market trends.
I would summarise my leadershipstyle with being open-minded, including and result-oriented. I believe in transparency and accountability. We must have clear targets and objectives that are well-anchored across the organisation to ensure that we all know what to do and what is required from us.
Targets and results are, in the end, just an outcome of a number of activities accomplished. We should, therefore, foster an environment that makes it safe to exchange ideas and encourage dialogue across the organisation. We need to have open forums for the team to bring new ideas to the table, which, in the end, will keep us at the forefront of our competitors.
We must continue cultivating a positive and inclusive work culture with a high engagement that drives innovation in everything we do. We celebrate in good times and support each other when times are more challenging. Together, we are stronger!
I have two very shiny silver medals from the Swedish Championship in Frisbee.
