New chairman hopes to challenge and give advice
When Swedish business magazine Veckans affärer lists the 125 most powerful women in Swedish industry, she shows up in 35th place. Carola Lemne, Managing Director of Praktikertjänst, is Uppsala University’s new chairman and is looking forward to her new duties.
She is the anaesthetist who became researcher of blood pressure, head of research, managing director and board professional. When the University board, the Consistory, meets 3 June Carola Lemne will be chairing the meeting.
“It will be fun and challenging. I felt very honoured and happy when I was asked about it”, she says.
Since 2007 Carola Lemne is Managing Director of group Praktikertjänst, the largest corporate group in health and dental care in Sweden. Among the almost 9,000 employees, 2,000 are shareholders and in charge of practices across the country. She believes the experience from running such an organisation may prove useful on the university board.
“I have an understanding of the challenges that exist in the expert-dominated organisation that a university is, with its powerful and externally funded professors and research groups.”
So what is her relation to Uppsala University? Her answer is spontaneous and comes with a laugh.
“First I actually intend to go to all the fun parties that I went to as a medical student. I studied at Karolinska institutet but we had many fun and festive exchanges with our fellow students in Uppsala.”
Inspired by inter-disciplinary science
There are also plenty of professional connections between Carola Lemne and Uppsala University. 14 years in the international pharmaceutical industry, including work as clinical research director at Pharmacia & Upjohn, involved many contacts with Uppsala researchers. She has also followed the University’s research groups and environments by judging funding applications for different research financiers. She herself is Docent of hypertension research, her research dealing with risk factors for blood pressure.
How important is your experience as a researcher?
“I know how a university works and understand the conditions and prerequisites for research”, says Carola Lemne.
Her career has been, and is, focused on medicine and pharmacy. To become chairman of a broad university – spanning humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering and pharmacy – inspires.
“The breadth of education and research is an important characteristic of Uppsala University. It is great to have the possibility of interesting ‘cross-fertilisations’ over disciplinary boundaries.”
Adviser and challenger
She is passionate about research where academic disciplines, society and industry meet across boundaries. And where basic and applied or industry-near research are not pitted against each other.
“I have seen many examples of how well it works, how rewarding it can be for both academy, industry and society to work closely”, says Carola Lemne, and adds that such a way of working has contributed to the strength of the pharmaceutical industry in Sweden.
Just a few weeks remain until her first board meeting at Uppsala University. How do you prepare?
“I read and read and read and try to understand how everything works. I have several decimetres of books and reading about Uppsala University. And there will be many visits to Uppsala these coming weeks.”
Carola Lemne hopes and believes that the Consistory can be a constructive sounding board for the University management. But also a challenger.
“The new board brings great international experience which can be converted into sound strategic and practical advice. But just as important is to dare ask questions and to encourage – ‘have you thought about this?’ or ‘isn’t it time to step up the game?’ A board must set challenges too”, says Carola Lemne.
Carola Lemne – Quick facts
Currently: New chairman of Uppsala University’s board, the Consistory
Works as: Managing Director of Praktikertjänst AB
Previous jobs: Physician in emergency medicine, clinical trial manager at Schering Plough AB, medical director and clinical research director at Pharmacia & Upjohn, managing director at Danderyd Hospital.
Academic background: Professional doctor, doctor of medicine and docent of clinical hypertension research.
Board duties: Board member of Getinge AB, Investor AB and Svenskt Näringsliv.
Likes: To play the piano, sing, cook and drink good wine. Dancing tango with her husband. Meeting friends – social life is important!
Driving force: Takes great pleasure in seeing people and organisations developing and becoming better.
Annoyances: Hidden agendas. When people say one thing but mean another, see to their own instead of contributing to the whole.