Get to know our new Managing Partner Thomas Anjou

Thomas, you are the Managing Partner at Ascend for 2022. Tell us a bit about yourself!

I have been a consultant at Ascend since 2015. Before that, I worked for quite a while in the sales organization at Ericsson, spending several years as a sales manager abroad. I have had the pleasure of living in Australia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Switzerland for studies and work, and I have also stayed more extended periods in California and Hawaii. I studied Industrial Engineering and Management in Linköping and then took my MBA at IMD in Lausanne.

When not working, I spend time with my family and friends – usually visit concerts and theatres, which unfortunately have been difficult in the last couple of years. Other major hobbies are sports of various kinds, such as kickboxing, golf, diving, and skiing.

At Ascend, I have worked with various assignments in different industries such as finance, gaming, paper, brewery, high-tech, and real estate. What I really like with the client engagements that I have had as part of Ascend, is that the majority of the clients I have worked with have become close friends with whom I have regular contact. Curiosity and passion are my greatest driving forces, which is why Ascend is the perfect place for me.

At Ascend, we have a yearly rotation of the role as Managing Partner. How come?

Our culture is our most important guiding-star, which means that we do not want to get stuck in structures or in a person’s way of leading and running the company. Instead, we want to leverage the influence and differences of all people in our partner group. We strongly believe in challenging ourselves and have a decentralized and agile decision-making process where most things are decided by the entire organization. Structures that work great are carried on from one Managing Partner to the next, but everything else is reconsidered.

What is best about Ascend?

There are many good things, one is that we truly live by our values “Fun”, “Exceptional” and “Inclusive”. Also, we have been around long enough to have many reoccurring clients, we have built up unique expertise in several areas, and we have not outgrown ourselves – everyone knows each other well and together we form a strong team. Finally, the large number of different types of clients and assignments constantly forces me to think fast, deliver with high quality, and continuously learn new things.

What will be your key focus as a managing partner in 2022?

I have three primary focus areas: our clients, the consultants who work with us now and the consultants who have worked with us over the years.

• We will continue to work together with our clients to identify exciting assignments that our exceptional consultants will have the chance to address.
• We will ensure that all our consultants continue to feel great, even if we have lived in a pandemic for far too long. Our yearly joint trip this year will be in the spirit of health.
• We will reconnect with all the alumni consultants who have worked at Ascend over the years but have moved on to new exciting challenges at other companies. As soon as the world allows it, we will carry out our big “homecoming” party.

What are your objectives with Ascend?

For us, the goal has always been to be recognized as a leading company within transformation in Scandinavia. We are a company strongly driven by passion and curiosity and we will continue to develop and deliver exceptional solutions to our clients.