Leander Lagervret

Job title: Senior Corporate Account Manager, Strive by STX

Location: Stockholm

Nationality: Austrian/Swedish

1. You started at Strive by STX in the DACH market and later became Region Lead for the Nordics. How would you describe that journey, from building the team to relocating to Stockholm?

For the first couple of years, my primary focus was to learn the ropes of the business and to build up collaboration with new counterparties in the German-speaking markets. That meant adopting a certain business acumen in writing and speaking and adjusting to certain cultural norms. After two years, my focus shifted more towards the Nordics, where I noticed that business was done differently than I was used to, so quick adjustment was necessary. This could be about the length of emails, directness in conversations, or duration of small talk preferred in a certain environment. To juggle this in English, Swedish and German makes for much variability among clients which I love.

In the beginning of 2023, I was put in charge of the Nordics as Regional Lead, had a team of four within a few months to train and lead, while still maintaining the existing client portfolio. I was given the responsibility of devising a go-to-market strategy to increase our market share in the Nordics.

With the move to Stockholm at the end of 2024, I handed the Regional Lead role over to a colleague to focus fully on key account management. I enjoy being thrown into new situations, so my first few years have been full of gradual changes with new learning opportunities.

2. When you became Region Lead for the Nordics, you were suddenly managing and training a team spread across different countries. What did you learn from leading a remote team while building a strategy for a new market?

It was quite challenging to learn team leadership with a virtual team, as the lessons I had received in Amsterdam would not all be applicable. The nature of our business relies on continuous client contact and business development, and learning or teaching this skillset is easiest done by sitting next to someone or hearing what people around you are doing. I felt that team onboarding was faster when I could spend the first month sitting next to them to give them direct guidance and immediate support when needed. Keeping motivation and performance in a virtual team requires extra effort in terms of regular check-in meetings to make sure you understand how everyone is doing. I can only change the things I know about.

There is a fine line between micro- and macro management that I had to try and figure out through trial and error. One thing I tried to enforce was that building a Nordic strategy was a team effort where everyone’s ideas and thoughts were appreciated. I had more STX experience and could get teammates up to speed, but I was very aware that they had complementary experience that I didn’t.

3. You recently moved back to Stockholm after several years in Amsterdam. How has working from a smaller local office changed the way you connect with clients and colleagues?

Transitioning from 200 people in one building to four people in a single co-working space is a contrast, to say the least. Although the connection to the headquarters in Amsterdam has become more limited, I feel secure knowing that I’ve built relationships and trust with people there in person, which I can now rely on digitally. For me, it was important to first learn the business and culture in Amsterdam to now be able to continue it with a smaller team in Stockholm. Doing it the other way around would have been more challenging. By setting up new routines in our co-working space that we all enjoy, the transition has been very smooth. Since most of my clients are in the Nordics, this part has become easier.

4. Your work focuses on building long-term relationships with large Nordic corporates as they navigate decarbonization. How do you approach identifying opportunities that support their climate goals and what do you find most exciting about it?

All clients have their own challenges across their Scope 1-2-3 emissions and my role is to identify opportunities that can help corporates lower their emissions and achieve their environmental pledges. While the wider topics may be the same across industries, the specific scenarios differ case-by-case. Environmental commodity trading is a fast-paced environment that’s constantly evolving but building client relationships is a slower process that requires patience and tenacity. The fun part of the job is to help solve these problems, meet many new people and learn about different businesses across the globe (and their respective challenges). When a client, sometimes after several years, specifically asks for your help in solving something, it’s a great sense of accomplishment.

5. You have seen the company grow from a small and fast-moving setup to a much larger and more structured organization. What has it been like to witness this evolution from the inside?

It’s been quite a ride to say the least! Rapidly increasing from one floor and 125 people (and one coffee machine!) to a new HQ office of three floors and to more than 500 people in 2-3 years was very exciting to see. The buzz of a large open office in Amsterdam was fantastic in those first few years – being close to the trading floor, hearing (loud) people on the phones in different languages and being able to learn from all those around me.

During this time, I witnessed a goldrush in the markets, price spikes, regulatory changes and multiple strategy changes in the company. It’s cool to have gone from being the fourth Strive member in Europe to having a team of more than 20 people and observing the evolution of our client offering. In my more than 4 years at STX, the company has changed from a highly transactional (deal closing!) environment to a more structured approach emphasizing long-strategies and client relationships. Luckily, the mentality of our trading floor has remained the same!

6. Colleagues describe you as a cultural ambassador who brings energy and a sense of belonging to the team. How do you foster trust and help create an environment where people perform at their best?

In my head, it’s simple: you perform your best if you like going to work and you enjoy going to work if you like the people around you in the team. For me, trust is built by leading by example. If I want people to be happy in the team and share knowledge with each other, I need to show the way myself. Humor and laughter go a long way, so I tend to spread this everywhere I go and this seems to have worked pretty well so far!

7. You have lived in eight cities across four continents and seem to thrive on curiosity and spontaneous experiences. How has your international background and personality shaped the way you work and connect with clients?

A big part of my journey has been about searching for as much international exposure as I could find and immersing myself in experiences I wouldn’t encounter at home. That constant exposure to different cultures has been the best training for understanding people, adapting to different ways of working and building meaningful relationships. It has helped shape how I see the world, how I relate to people and how I approach work. This background has made me feel comfortable working in German, Swedish and English and it’s probably why I thrive in account management and sales: I genuinely enjoy meeting new people, understanding what makes them tick and finding creative ways to connect and build trust.