It is a sunny, windy day in Vaasa, Finland, when the pictures of Citec’s new CEO, Johan Westermarck, are taken. He has been in the job for half a year now and is definitely up to speed in his new role. During his first months at Citec, Johan has put effort into forming a clear picture of its people and organisation: “I’ve been listening and learning. There are so many positive things to this company, starting from its history to its way-of-working. The cooperation we have built with our key customers is exceptional, just as our global setup of experts is.”

By showing each other respect, we ensure a working environment, where everyone enjoys putting their best foot forward.

While in many ways unique, Johan sees that much of the challenges and opportunities Citec faces are similar to what he has seen in other companies. The key is to truly understand customer needs and learn from every mistake. From his career in the service industry, Johan has long experience in executive-level leadership. As a CEO, he believes in honesty and openness – values which he has discovered to be part of Citec’s culture, too. “I value openness and I want to be easy to contact. My door’s always open, even when I’m not physically there.” At Citec, Johan has also found an inspiring consideration and care for both customers and colleagues: “By showing each other respect, we ensure a working environment, where everyone enjoys putting their best foot forward. I don’t believe in bossing people around.”

In his work, Johan is passionate about new challenges, setting tough goals and achieving those goals. He derives his energy from working with skilled experts and good people, and he admires anyone who is honest and genuinely themself, without pretence. “I’m surrounded by people cleverer than me and it is my privilege to align their skills for a great future.” His colleagues describe Johan as systematic and consistent, always aiming for clear strategies with a focus on the future. “The Citec way-of-working is an important part of our company brand, as all we have as a company are our experts and the way we work and deliver great services together. Therefore, it is important that we jointly act as one. The future is what we together make of it and my role is just one of many.”

In a changing world, where the challenges of tomorrow are not the same as today, also companies need to change to be ahead of the game.

Together with senior management, Johan has spent the past winter and spring updating and implementing Citec’s strategy. “In a changing world, where the challenges of tomorrow are not the same as today, also companies need to change to be ahead of the game.” Citec’s new strategy consists of two important parts: a heavier focus on the company’s core strengths and key partnerships, as well as a united way-of-working across Citec’s offices around the world. “Our customers are global and have the same expectations on us in every country we operate in. Therefore, we need to work as one. There will always be cultural differences in international operations like ours, but cultural differences can be seen as a problem or they can be seen as a strength. At Citec they are a strength, and with joint procedures and rules, we continuously deliver at our best.”

Citec’s new CEO Johan Westermarck derives his energy from working with skilled experts and good people, and admires anyone, who is honest and genuinely themself.

Johan has a bright view of Citec’s future: “All doors are open to us. There is a great deal of engineering knowledge within Citec and there’s a large market for us to conquer. In plant engineering, product engineering and technical documentation we provide competence, flexibility and cost efficiency to our customers. Also, for a longer time now, we’ve systematically developed digital tools, and digital solutions are increasingly important to our business.”

The often-travelling Johan confesses to be a restless soul: “I’m always working on a project, even in my spare time.” The off-work Johan enjoys spending time with his family and friends and can frequently be found at the gym. He believes in balance and staying in shape for a hectic working life: “You need to take care of yourself to have the energy to pull long workdays. When you exercise and exert yourself physically you also empty your mind from all thoughts on work. By putting those thoughts on pause for a moment, you have the energy to continue performing.” While Johan’s days as Citec’s new CEO might be long, they are definitely not boring: “We have to enjoy what we do, have fun and laugh. Naturally we need to take things seriously to attain our goals, but it has to be fun too.”