Ingemar Queckfeldt – AKEA

Ingemar Queckfeldt is the Head of Sponsorship at Akea which means he is responsible for the brand itself along with all the activities outside of their products and services. Akea, founded in 2008, is the distributor of all critical infrastructure for society and the public sector in Sweden as well as a supplier of construction and cable contracting in fields such as energy solutions, wind power, hydropower, electricity transmission, water and sewage, land contracting and much more.

In addition to this, Akea shows engagement towards non-profit sports organizations by supporting them with its excess revenue. In this interview, Ingemar will share how ambition to be a part of the future generation as well as insights into their core values has shaped its strong and recognizable brand name.

AKEA AS A BUILDING BLOCK OF SOCIETY

“The most important for Akea is to have a good relationship with society beneficial to improve business in a wider field. As a contractor, in general, it is of vital importance that we understand the need for continuous development, not only within our business but also in society as a whole. Our current infrastructure was built around 1940-1960, which means it is time for restoration and improvement.

This is where Akea takes on its role in society by focusing its interest on projects that will do exactly that; Take the infrastructure into the future. Through economics, customer satisfaction, demand, and staff satisfaction, which is carefully measured, we have a clear vision of important KPIs that we believe will contribute to the continuous growth of Akea.” Ingemar explains.

Furthermore, Ingemar clarifies: “Not only are we a society builder in terms of blocks and concrete, but also in creating and fulfilling dreams. Since the start, we have always said that our excess revenue will go into projects of non-profit sports organizations to contribute to a sustainable society and the well-being of children.”.

“Through economics, customer satisfaction, demand, and staff satisfaction we have a clear vision of important KPIs that we believe will contribute to the continuous growth of Akea.”

THE “GOOD FORCE” AND WHAT AKEA DOES TO CONTRIBUTE

“Since 2019 a new and improved strategy has generated more insights into what determines the role of exercise in the life of young people. As an example, we have stated what Akea can do to target the perspective of “boys vs girls” in the practice of various sports. Also, research shows that physical well-being creates better learning abilities that eventually will generate a high school degree that will likely get you access to future education or work if you use it in the best way.

This is what we mean when saying that non-profit sports organizations are the good force in society that holds it all together.” Ingemar clarifies. “In every organization, there is always an adult present, with their own child, but also with 30-50 other children. We call this rightfully “the good adult” or “the everyday hero” for their tremendous work. This is something we want to highlight even more.” Ingemar defines.

DIVERSITY, INCLUSIVITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

“In 2015, the United Nations stated 17 goals on sustainability, which we have interpreted into our own business strategy. It became clear to us where our objective was and therefore, we had to terminate some historical collaborations due to exclusion regarding gender. The vitality of inclusion in all aspects was pointed out in our strategy and must always be followed to maintain our purpose of doing this.

Therefore, we are in the middle of a discussion regarding female coaches in Swedish non-profit sports organizations. We believe that diversity among leaders generates a greater experience and journey, and we know that we can contribute to this change, among other things we feel a responsibility to do so.” Ingemar states.

“The vitality of inclusion in all aspects, which is pointed out in our strategy, must always be followed to maintain the purpose of what we do.”

TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PROFIT AND EMOTIONS

“For employees at Akea, staying true to our approach and regulations is important when starting a conversation with or supporting different non-profit sports organizations. Sometimes it can be difficult to separate feelings and profit. At the end of the day, we are a business with an aim to give back, but to be able to do that we need to have in mind the excess needed to even be able to implement our support.

Hence, I rely on these regulations to create a profitable and long-term cooperation with these organizations and to make sure we measure the right elements as well as having a goal with our sponsorship.” Ingemar shares.

NON-PROFIT SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS ARE THE KEY

“As a part of our CSR work, we offer staff programs where our employees can apply for funding for “their” non-profit sports organization. If we can ensure that the organization in focus follows our regulations and apply upon our strategic plan, we are happy to contribute. This creates considerable value, pride, and loyalty among our staff, and in the meantime, we can use this to measure internal KPIs, as an example, we can see a very low turnover of personnel in the company.” Ingemar explains.

“Furthermore, we have started to see a change in Sweden regarding the role of the sponsorship responsible within companies. For many years businesses outsourced this role but have now instantiated this role within the organisation. With my role as Head of Sponsorship, we can create commitment and engagement when the common man recognizes our company name. The concrete you walk on downtown has been distributed by Akea. The fibre you use to watch TV has been installed by Akea. During winter when the heating is turned on, the maintenance has been done by Akea.

This is the story we want to tell, and we want to tell that through the non-profit sports organizations because we believe they are the answer to the many challenges in society. As an example, exclusion. The non-profit sports organizations are per definition inclusive, and we have seen that when the public sector, society and business cooperate, it generates the best results for everyone.” Ingemar ensures.

“Non-profit sports organizations are per definition inclusive, which we believe is the answer to the many challenges that society is facing.”