A new way to attract talent

When we want to attract new talent, we need to think outside the box. This is why Volvo organized an employer branding event at the Gothenburg Horse Show taken place in February. There are many strong female profiles in the equestrian world and we wanted to find a way to connect with them. With participants from Volvo, two Olympic riders and senior professionals from the IT world inside and outside Volvo, we discussed the topic “working with your passion to reach your goals”. Did you know that 70% of female leaders in Sweden come from a horse-riding background? Equitation is one of the few sports where men and women train and compete on equal conditions.

“During our panel discussion between Volvo and two of Sweden’s top riders in dressage and show-jumping, Patrik Kittel and Maria Gretzer, we found many similarities between leadership in our industry and the equestrian world,” said Anna Westerberg, SVP Volvo Group Connected Solutions. “Our values, trust and passion, are also important when you work with horses to make them perform at their best.” Maria Düring, Global Director IT at Volvo CE, said: “Kindness creates a great foundation for trust and growth and no matter if you interact with horses or humans – kindness will always be extremely important. With kindness, both horse and rider can develop and grow together, and kindness will also create a safe space for my team to learn and grow.”

Participants felt excited about being at the event and appreciated the theme around passion. “Being interested in horses and learning how we can tie both technical and leadership aspects together, this event was very interesting for me,” said Matilda Idoffsson, student at Chalmers University of Technology. “It was great to see that we dare to try new things to achieve a more diverse workforce,” says Maria. “I believe we should do even more of this and even go outside the sports arena.”