The Guest – Radhika Åberg, CTO at Fundler
Radhika Åberg is the CTO at Fundler, a Stockholm-based company that provides a fintech platform allowing private investors to manage their savings portfolios. Radhika is a leader with over 20 years of IT experience in product development, infrastructure and IT management. She has deep expertise in the Fintech industry, and in building high-performing software departments in close alignment with business goals.
Establishing Yourself As A Leader
Entering a new organization as a senior tech leader or Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is exciting, yet, it’s not without its challenges. The first hurdle often faced is winning over the tech team. These seasoned professionals have likely been working together for some time, and they might be wary of change. To succeed in tech leadership, it’s crucial to balance your technical input with effective leadership skills. Showing respect for the team’s existing knowledge and expertise, and focusing on creating an environment that encourages collaboration and empowers team members to contribute are key. By building trust, demonstrating your commitment to their growth, and aligning your vision with the company’s goals, you can overcome initial skepticism and lead your tech team towards new heights of innovation and success. However, this is only one of the many challenges a leader might face.
Some of the topics covered in this episode include:
- Establishing yourself as a leader in a new company
- Changing leadership style over the years
- The challenges of tech leadership
- Being the bridge between business and technology
Q: What has changed in terms of your approach to tech leadership? Do you manage and lead teams differently than you would have done 10 years ago?
Definitely. It has changed a lot. In the beginning, when I was a junior leader, I really led without any knowledge about the team, and individual development. That said, I didn’t really struggle that much since I’m a people person, and collaboration comes very natural to me. But eventually, when I switched between different leadership roles and got a lot of relationship training, it evolved from being reactive to more proactive leadership. I started to think actively of a team being a complex unit, seeing the individual at the same time, seeing the team’s performance, inspiring them, giving them a sense of purpose.
Radhika Åberg, CTO at Fundler
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