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Stefan Holmberg

Who are you, what is your position at IKEA and what connection/relationship do you have to this specific Master’s programme?

"I am currently active as a Project Leader within the IKEA Supply Chain Development organisation and have spent more than 25 years in different development roles at IKEA. My background is an MSc from Engineering Logistics and a PhD from the same department. Besides having attended the courses myself during my time as a student, I have also been responsible for teaching some of the courses and from time to time visited as a guest lecturer."

 What do you say about the future labour market of the students of this programme? Do you see any changes in the demand for skilled students/alumni within this field?

"I would say that the last 18 months has proven the relevance and value of the skills developed through the programme in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. It has never been more relevant. The ability to configure and run supply chains today, and even more so tomorrow, is a critical skill. Today’s supply chains were disrupted by the Covid-19 outbreak, and just as an example with the rapidly evolving changes in climate, I am sure we have not seen the end of disruptions. There will be an upsurge in the demand for competent co-workers managing supply chains in this context."

What kind of positions is IKEA offering that might be of interest to the recently graduated students of the programme?

"IKEA is a big company with long and complex supply chains. With more than 1.300 suppliers, 35+ warehouses, 450+ stores and an increasing amount of customer meeting points, our network becomes increasingly complex. Further to that, increasing consumer demands for seamless shopping and outstanding speed and convenience put a heavy demand on IKEA. Consequently, there is a high demand for co-workers both within planning and execution. Demand forecasting is such an area, with increasing use of advanced AI/ML solutions. Need Planners are working with global and tactical planning to balance demand and supply, collaborating closely with procurement as well as with flow and capacity planning functions. The upsurge in online sales requires competence in handling more complex setups with increasing demands on shorter lead times and lower costs. Business to Business sales is yet another interesting area where logistics plays an important role."

What kind of students/alumni are you looking for when hiring? What profile are you interested in?

"Logistics is a very applied science where many disciplines are combined. People with a broad understanding of the world we are living in, not least the needs of the many people, is instrumental to understanding how to create solutions that are relevant. You need of course to have knowledge and skills in all of the areas included in the programme, but you also need skills in areas such as change management and project management to name a few. Considering the rapid adoption of advanced technology solutions such as AI/ML, we expect knowledge within this area too. But I also want to point out that you can develop specific skills as you go, but you need to foster the right mindset. Be curious, challenge yourself and others."

Why and in what way is this Master’s programme of interest to IKEA? How well does this programme suit the demands of IKEA?

"The programme is of course not tailored for the needs of IKEA alone. However, it suits the needs of IKEA in the sense that it provides the theoretical base for at least some of the skills needed to successfully support IKEA’s vision: to create a better everyday life for the many people."