Welcome Johanna - new CEO of Comprend

By Helena Wennergren

On 1st June, we welcomed Johanna Fagrell Köhler as the new CEO of Comprend. Johanna took the baton from Staffan Lindgren. Who is Johanna, and does this herald changes at Comprend?

As stated in the press release, Johanna Fagrell Köhler has extensive experience as a founder and leader of dynamic and successful consulting companies in Sweden and internationally. She was recently the CEO of Creuna, a digital agency in Sweden, which was acquired by Knowit last autumn. But who is our new CEO, and what will happen to Comprend now?

Welcome Johanna

A warm welcome to Comprend, Johanna! Tell us, what made you want to join us?

Thank you so much! I am really proud of being a part of Comprend. I wanted to join to be part of a journey - a journey with a company who hold the right values teamed with excellent expertise. I found that in Comprend.

I was particularly attracted to the combination of digital development and corporate communication expertise, especially since I have experience of both. I also liked the size of Comprend - it’s good not to be huge. Right now our market is under consolidation with smaller agencies being bought by companies like Tieto, EY, Deloitte etc. There are very few digital communication agencies left of our size with the niche and culture that we have. This is something to nurture and build upon. I want to inspire a warm welcoming, professional and fun space for us to work in partnership with our clients. If we do the right things, we will be the only choice for clients and future co-workers.

What do you think will be the biggest change?

There will be a change, definitely - but good change that we will decide together. We won't take away things that work well, but we will be a little more proactive and maybe broaden our offer with things that adds value to corporate communications. There will be variations and new initiatives since I am different from Staffan but we complement each other and have the same vision for Comprend. A winning team if you like.

Which of your previous experiences do you think you will make the most use of?

My leadership. As a leader, I focus on building great teams. I really can’t do anything myself, I need all Comprendians! So I endeavour to put excellent teams together in a way that enables as much freedom as possible together with guidance, coaching and drive.

What is first on your to-do-list for Comprend?

We have a great flow in sales right now, so firstly it is recruitment - finding the right people for our vacant positions. I will also try to meet as many of our clients as possible.

And finally, tell us something about yourself

I am married to Claes, have three children and two dachshunds. We live in Lidingö and also have a home in Skåne, which we love. Besides taking care of the family, I really enjoy all kind of sports and being outdoors. And I love music - all genres. Comprendians will learn to know that!

And what will Staffan do?

Staffan Lindgren has been the CEO of Comprend, or Hallvarsson@Halvarsson/it as we were called back in the 1990s, for the past 25 years.

What made you want to step down after so many years?

25 years is a long time. It has been a fantastic experience, through all the ups and downs. We as a company have grown enormously and I love the fact that some clients actually have been with us since the start. The last year was challenging for many companies, including us. We are now back on track and I feel that it is a good time to hand over the baton to a new CEO, to take Comprend to the next level.

What will you do now?

I will continue to work as an advisor with existing and new clients. I really love helping clients with their communications challenges and look forward to being able to spend more time on that. I will also be a more active partner in H&H Group, looking into new opportunities for the group.

What will you miss the most?

As I have the benefit of staying at Comprend, I think I will get the best parts of it - continuing to work with our great team and clients.