Hakan Sundstrom

Listen to Noomii's interview with Hakan Sundstrom

About Me

I'm originally from Sweden and have lived and worked in London, Hong Kong, and Athens since 2000. My career never followed one functional line, I have run regional businesses, global operations and HR. I spent twenty years working for American bosses without ever working in America, and opened offices from Singapore and Mumbai to Beijing.
A big part of that work was deciding who got promoted and helping people prepare for the next step. I have made most of the mistakes I now help people with. I have been the leader pulled into every deal who called it helping, and I
once prepared every detail of a CEO visit except the one that mattered. I have learned that pressure changes how capable people are long before it shows in the results. That is what I look for first.

I now run Kinmora Partners, and work as an executive and leadership coach with people at three points in their careers, newly promoted into a bigger role, passed over for promotion, or unsure about their next career move. The work often touches confidence, executive presence and imposter syndrome. To me, confidence is the ability to build trust with your presence, being secure enough that listening becomes your tool.

I listen more than I talk. It is tempting to hear something and think you have the answer, but my job is to ask the questions that get you to yours. I am invested in the people I work with, and I have never wanted to do a fly-by and be done with it. The coaching works best when you are ready to make some decisions and try something new.

Together we work out your next two to five steps, so you end up in a better position than when you started. I primarily coach over video, with clients across Asia Pacific, Europe and the US, from Hong Kong and Stockholm. When I am not coaching, you may well find me on our family farm in Sweden.