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My Duvet Flip by Jack Parsons

Martin Björnberg, CFO at Handelsbanken UK: What Tennis Taught a Top Banking Exec About Leadership

My Duvet Flip by Jack Parsons

Jack Parsons

Business, Careers

4.25 Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Episode Guest:

Martin Björnberg is the Chief Financial Officer of Handelsbanken UK, where he brings decades of experience in financial strategy, leadership, and operational excellence. His career spans multiple disciplines, including HR and frontline banking, rooted in a passion for ownership and resilience.


Episode Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

0:52 Martin’s Career Journey to CFO

1:59 Lessons from Martin’s First Job

3:02 Theory vs Practice in the Workplace

4:18 How to Add Value in Your First 90 Days

5:40 The Power of Taking Ownership

6:47 What Tennis Taught Martin About Resilience

8:12 Resilience and Setbacks in Work and Life

9:47 Creating a Positive Work Culture

11:00 Bringing Your Full Self to Work

12:16 Awareness, Common Sense & Social Dynamics

13:07 Why Being in the Office Still Matters

14:31 Developing Communication Skills Over Time

16:00 Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

17:45 Speaking Up as an Introvert

19:04 Military Discipline & Decision-Making

21:00 How to Bounce Back from a Bad Decision

24:07 Rethinking Time & Career Expectations

26:54 Why Martin Believes in Long-Term Roles

29:09 The Power of Influence and Role Models

30:22 What a CFO Actually Does

32:07 Which CFO Tasks Excite Martin Most

33:35 Career Paths That Can Lead to CFO

35:30 Financial Steering & Local Decision-Making

37:16 Transferring Skills Across Industries

39:34 Why Financial Skills Are Always in Demand

42:24 Inside Handelsbanken UK’s Culture

44:03 What Engagement Looks Like in Practice

45:33 If Martin Started His Career Again…

47:10 Martin’s Core Life Lesson

51:07 What Gets Martin Out of Bed — His Duvet Flip


Episode Partners

✈️ easyJet

Explore exciting career opportunities at easyJet, one of Europe’s leading airlines. Whether you're passionate about aviation, customer service, engineering, or corporate roles, easyJet offers a dynamic work environment focused on innovation and growth.

https://bit.ly/3yCRlNS


📊 Compare the Market

Discover how you can make a difference at Compare the Market, the company behind one of the UK’s most popular comparison sites. From tech and data to marketing and operations, they’re on a mission to simplify decisions for millions.

https://bit.ly/4i53Svj


Disclaimer:

The content provided on Duvet Flip is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. The views expressed by hosts, guests, brands or contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show's producers, sponsors, or affiliates. The information shared is not a substitute for professional advice, including but not limited to career counseling, financial guidance, legal consultation, or mental health support.


Listeners and viewers are responsible for their own decisions and actions based on the content provided, and Duvet Flip assumes no liability for any outcomes resulting from reliance on the information shared. By engaging with the show, you acknowledge and agree to this disclaimer.


If you’re struggling with debt, trusted advice and free support can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/debt-advice


If you’re struggling with mental health of any kind, you can find free support here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I am Martin Buoy. I'm the CEO of Handers Bank in UK. We employ 3,000 people across the UK. And this is my

0:07.4

duvet. What does that look like in terms of practical steps to add value? Very often, it's about

0:13.1

showing ownership. Try to own it and try to run with it. How long did that take it for you to become

0:18.8

aware to add value? you should have ownership.

0:22.1

It's up to you. I used to play tennis. I have to own my own game to improve.

0:26.2

For you, what's something that really sticks with you?

0:28.2

Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.

0:31.8

What can I do?

0:33.1

It's the first question you should ask yourself, what can I give? What's your duvet flip? What gets you out of bed in the morning to flip the duvet?

0:38.5

We thought about that long and hard and I feel...

0:45.3

So Jack, good to go. So Martin, welcome to my duvet flip. How are we? Thank you so much. Very good.

0:51.3

Oh, I'm so fascinated by your career. So I know we've got a little bit of time today to go through it all,

0:56.8

but I'm so excited to learn about your journey and how you became a CFO because that's just so fascinating.

1:04.0

And I believe that if you understand money and how to use numbers, you can go so far in life. But I want to start here. First job.

1:13.0

Tell me a little bit about your first job. You just come out of education. You've gone into your

1:19.0

first job. What was it? What did you do? And if you was looking back at your younger self now,

1:25.7

what advice would you be given your younger self?

1:29.3

Oh, that's a very good question. Just out of university, I felt, I actually went to university

1:36.4

just, I felt I need to have something to add. I need to learn something that I can add where

1:42.0

I work. I had had a few jobs before going to uni.

1:45.5

Coming into June, I felt that I learned a bit.

1:50.5

I realized a lot of theory and I want to practice that and try to see what I can do.

...

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