Cesab has been there the longest

The company was founded in 1985 by Christer Sandström.  Cesab is an abbreviation of Christer Sandström Executive Search AB.

Cesab has been part of Luleå's journey from the ruins of Stålverk 80, through boom and bust, real estate crashes and financial crises.  In that time, the recruitment industry has changed dramatically. Advertising used to go a long way. Now it takes more, making the role of recruitment agencies even more important.

"Now, companies themselves need to identify and contact interesting and potential candidates to find out if there is an interest in changing jobs. In this process, it is beneficial to use a professional recruitment consultant. It's a shame not to ensure that you get a first contact with the most suitable candidates," says Lars Bogren, owner and CEO.

He joined the company last year, when he succeeded Katarina Stehn, both as owner and CEO. She had been running the company for more than 10 years. In that time, the development has meant that not only candidates are screened, but also that applicants want to know more about the company that wants to hire them.

"Many companies hire professional recruiters. Companies need to have an attractive offer. We become the companies' extended arm in contacting potential candidates. This requires systematic work," says Katarina Stehn.

Unlike many companies in the industry, Cesab focuses on executive recruitment. In this work, digitalisation has meant new ways of working.

"With digital meetings, you have time to meet more people than you did with physical meetings. Digital also allows work to be done nationwide and globally in a more agile way. We need a large influx of workers to Norrbotten if companies are to be able to cope with the supply of skills," says Katarina Stehn.

She now works as a consultant in the company alongside CEO Lars Bogren and recruitment consultant Maria Wallander.

Lennart Håkansson

editor@northswedenbusiness.com