Susanne-Kikki Israelsson: Reframing life in a post-pandemic era

The Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to its knees. Getting back on our feet called for a considerable recalibration in the way we think and act because, like it or not, life was never the same again.

Its global impact is enormous: millions in deaths and cases, billions in lost revenues and jobs lost due to businesses and industries shutting down, an unparalleled spike in mental health issues, induced vulnerability because of mandatory social isolation, and academic deceleration are just some of the pandemic's direct major consequences.

Business development strategist Susanne-Kikki Israelsson had a flourishing consultancy career for years before the pandemic. She incurred business losses. Inundated with a daily dose of doom-and-gloom news, she had to make sense of what was happening. The Swedish entrepreneur had to quickly reflect and dig deeper than usual into what the future would look like, starting with the consequences to her. What can she do? What does she need to do business-wise so she's better prepared in case another crisis on a pandemic scale happens in the future?

"Covid put us all in a situation where we understood how vulnerable we all were, and that everything could change quickly and without warning. It pushed me to rethink and reframe everything, professionally and personally. I am now more grateful and even more careful about the paths I choose in life."

While many of us had to live with being cooped up in our concrete homes during the lockdown, residents of Sweden were allowed to go outdoors, which gave Susanne time to reimagine her life for a rebound.

"We live near the sea. Every day, we took long walks. I became more aware of how important my home, family and nature were during those tough times even though they have always been important to me. I became more grateful for what I had around me than I had been before," relishes Susanne. Her great passion is her family, husband, two children with their partners, four grandchildren, and Baoshi, the family dog, as well as her best friend of 53 years, Annika Månsson.

Rethink. Reframe. Rebound.

"Covid changed the entire playing field for all market players, including myself. It required rethinking business and business development. Sustainability became very apparent in different ways, such as nature reclaiming its spaces, the rapid acceleration of digitalisation, and digital communication becoming a daily routine," says the graduate of Digital Transformation at the University of Maryland.

"I am a purpose-driven entrepreneur, which means I run businesses and operations with a higher purpose and societal engagement beyond pure profit maximisation. It is about creating value for society, the environment, or a certain group of people, often through social entrepreneurship or sustainable business models. There must always be a purpose and value in everything you do. I always want to create something better for people, animals, and nature. Longevity is also important to me, and I do not believe in quick money."

Covid-19 was a game changer, increasingly challenging us to purposely modify how we think and respond to the new order, because simply adapting is not enough. "It is like turning over every stone and finding something that needs to be redone to fit the future. Everything must be reassessed, from which products and services you offer to how they are produced, shipped, and improved through digitalisation," reflects Susanne, who has travelled and worked in over 50 countries, including a stint of 10 years in China and Japan.

Even during her pre-pandemic years at IKEA she already worked with purpose and value-creation, not just making money for the company, but creating positive change for people and nature. She was involved in the development of LED lighting at IKEA, which benefits both people and nature while creating profit. It is the IKEA connection that ties Susanne to Women of the World (WOW), thanks to fellow alumni Agneta Olsson and Jocelyn Goh.

"I have been a part of so many organisations focusing on women, but WOW is one of those that I really like very much because it's about promoting and lifting women in different ways, not only in business," she says.

New norms. New entrepreneurships.

The lockdown practically uncaged a refreshing set of enterprising youths. Susanne realised quite quickly during the pandemic that she possesses skills honed from years of immersive on-the-job experience. Giving back to the younger generation, teaching them skills and coaching, became her next preoccupation. The choice to become a teacher at a university and an advisor to those who want to start their own business, regardless of age and status, came naturally.

She believes education needs to change and be reformed to better fit the creation of sustainable people, and to ensure that different types of talents can grow within the school system. She estimates 500–1,000 individuals have benefitted from her upskilling efforts since 2022. "Many great entrepreneurs did not go to university because they could not use their talents in the right way and felt limited by the school environment. I am part of a project where young people, already at the ages of 14–15, get to try entrepreneurship... Maybe we can find the next big talent by allowing them to try early on. So, more entrepreneurial spirit in schools!"

"In Sweden, we are very skilled at innovation processes, which also has to do with our leadership style. Organisations are very flat and not so hierarchical, which creates space for everyone's ideas. Innovations will save our world, so it is very important to have a high percentage of innovation work in all companies today," says Susanne, CEO of her own consulting firm NEWaste AB, which focuses on business development for companies, schools, and organisations.

Recalibrating is not new to Susanne, who once dreamt of becoming a photographer and completed two years of a pre-nursing course in Sweden. Her first job was in a hospital intensive care unit and emergency room. "Life took another path, and when I met my husband we moved to Älmhult for his job. I started working part-time at the IKEA store, and stayed on for 23 years. That's where I found my home; it became my dream job." Leaving no stone unturned, she has decided that every year she will do something she has never tried before; this year she volunteered for a week at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö.

Susanne has comfortably achieved a reframed life by proactively moving from post-pandemic response to a more sustainable future as value maker, purpose director, teacher and mentor. "These are the red threads to the things I do." And she's just getting started.