Lina Zackrisson, CEO, Intinor
Talk us through an average day in your role
I’m sure every CEO will tell you that there is no average day! I’m constantly responding to the challenges and opportunities of our business.
I start each morning by taking the dog for a walk, which clears my mind for the day ahead. Then, over breakfast, I often call a former colleague and good friend. Sometimes we talk through ideas, around things that are happening in our work; sometimes we just chat.
Unless I am travelling for business, I spend the full day at our offices. As a specialist in remote systems of course I could work from anywhere, but I like being close to everyone.
We develop both the hardware and the software for our products, so it is good to be on top of both our teams and our suppliers. We try to source as much as possible locally – we are very proud of our “made in Sweden” tag – and relationships with our suppliers are very important.
Our location is on the edge of the city of Umeå in the north-east of Sweden. We strive to be the best possible workplace, so we regularly have “walk and talk” sessions where a manager and employee will get some fresh air and talk about what is happening, how is the work environment and how we are moving forward towards our company targets.
How did you get started in the media industry?
Before Intinor I was working for Volvo Trucks – they have a plant in Umeå that produces the cabs for heavy vehicles. I worked in logistics and was production director. About as far from the media industry as you can be.
In truth I saw the advertisement that Intinor wanted to appoint a CEO. I spent a very long time talking to the recruiter and found out they wanted someone who could bring a strategic vision and overview. I had never heard of Intinor, and was surprised to find a world leader right here in Umeå.
One of the things I am now very enthusiastic about is working with the whole community of businesses in the area, building co-operation and learning and growing together. We have an excellent university in the city, and we work with them too to ensure that the best talent stays in the area.
Of course, we are in competition with some of the other businesses for that talent, but working together brings so many benefits.
What training did you have before entering the industry?
My training has been very much hands-on. I joined at the beginning of 2022, and have learnt by talking to the team – and especially Roland Axelsson, our founder – just how we have become as good as we are.
IBC was a huge advance for me. It gave me a chance to see how we fit into the overall industry, and it was a great opportunity to talk to customers and see what challenges we are meeting for them, and how we can develop further.
Why do you enjoy working in the industry?
One of the biggest messages I took from IBC is that people in the media industry have such passion for what they do. We are all continually innovating and thriving in a growing market. Take esports, for example – this is a huge new area, and it is exciting that so many young people can get involved.
Our products make a real difference in a lot of areas. We have provided broadcasters with tools for remote broadcasting at the World Cup, for example. They may not realise their enjoyment depends on Intinor, but we are benefitting many millions of consumers.
What piece of advice would you offer someone looking to explore a similar role?
It is really important to be passionate about what you are doing. Then you have to be open to learn, and ready to listen to everyone. At Intinor we are currently just 23 people, so it is quite easy to be there for everyone, but the same applies in any business: you only understand how it all fits together by listening to the people doing the work.
So good relationships are vital. At Intinor we pride ourselves on being an open and inclusive company and encourage open dialogue the company. As CEO and part of the management team my job is to visualise where we want to go, and make sure that everyone in the team understands that and can see how they can best contribute. Each member of the team is responsible for their own tasks: I am here to support them.
