Martin Björnberg, CFO at Handelsbanken UK: What Tennis Taught a Top Banking Exec About Leadership

Episode Guest:

Martin Björnberg is the Chief Financial Officer of Handelsbanken UK, where he brings decades of experience in financial strategy, leadership, and operational excellence. His career spans multiple disciplines, including HR and frontline banking, rooted in a passion for ownership and resilience.

Episode Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

0:52 Martin’s Career Journey to CFO

1:59 Lessons from Martin’s First Job

3:02 Theory vs Practice in the Workplace

4:18 How to Add Value in Your First 90 Days

5:40 The Power of Taking Ownership

6:47 What Tennis Taught Martin About Resilience

8:12 Resilience and Setbacks in Work and Life

9:47 Creating a Positive Work Culture

11:00 Bringing Your Full Self to Work

12:16 Awareness, Common Sense & Social Dynamics

13:07 Why Being in the Office Still Matters

14:31 Developing Communication Skills Over Time

16:00 Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

17:45 Speaking Up as an Introvert

19:04 Military Discipline & Decision-Making

21:00 How to Bounce Back from a Bad Decision

24:07 Rethinking Time & Career Expectations

26:54 Why Martin Believes in Long-Term Roles

29:09 The Power of Influence and Role Models

30:22 What a CFO Actually Does

32:07 Which CFO Tasks Excite Martin Most

33:35 Career Paths That Can Lead to CFO

35:30 Financial Steering & Local Decision-Making

37:16 Transferring Skills Across Industries

39:34 Why Financial Skills Are Always in Demand

42:24 Inside Handelsbanken UK’s Culture

44:03 What Engagement Looks Like in Practice

45:33 If Martin Started His Career Again…

47:10 Martin’s Core Life Lesson

51:07 What Gets Martin Out of Bed — His Duvet Flip

Episode Partners

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