We are radically improving our processes

How does a part-time job at SEB lead to a 24-year-long career within the bank? Henrik Ågren, who currently works as a Business Owner in the Business Services division, explains.

Henrik Ågren began his career at SEB 24 years ago with a part-time job during his studies. He was then offered a permanent position at the bank and has since explored various areas within Business Services, including Corporate Actions and Securities Lending. This led him to SEB’s office in Luxembourg, where he had the opportunity to work as a Group Manager within Corporate Actions.

– Working in Luxembourg was incredibly exciting. It was my first managerial position and the international environment allowed me to quickly develop my leadership skills. After seven years, I decided to move back to Stockholm. A few years later, I felt ready for a new challenge, having spent most of my career in Business Services. When a new area called Regulatory Reporting was created within Large Corporate & Financial Institutions (LC&FI), I seized the opportunity to help build the team from the ground up. Over seven years, we grew from a team of four to 40 people. Seeing that development was very rewarding, but once again I felt the need for a change. I wanted to be part of building something new, and I heard about several exciting pilot projects within Business Services, which had made significant progress in recent years. I was drawn to this and decided to apply for the role of Business Owner for Statement as a Service. When I got the job it felt a bit like coming home.

In what way has Business Services changed over the years?

– We have taken greater ownership of our processes, which has allowed us to make significant improvements. This, in turn, enables us to deliver more value both internally and to our customers. To achieve this, we have also increased collaboration between the business and tech sides of the bank, ensuring we stay at the forefront. SEB has always fostered a culture of cross-divisional collaboration, which opens up many new and interesting projects to work on. That’s one of the main reasons I’ve stayed with the bank and why I returned to Business Services.

What is Statement as a Service?

As a Business Owner, Henrik is responsible for Statement as a Service—an area within Business Services aimed at digitising the various statements the bank sends to its customers.

– An Audit Statement outlines a company’s financial commitments with us, and it’s something our corporate customers need for their audits. Currently, the process involves a lot of paperwork. Our goal is to digitise engagement letters, making the process more efficient, accurate and user-friendly. We’re in the early stages of the pilot, working to turn this vision into reality in both the short and long term. We also hold ‘show and tell’ sessions for anyone interested in our progress. After the pilot, we plan to expand this to other types of statements.

What is the best part of your job? 

– I enjoy being involved in decision-making, driving change, and having an impact—especially when you know that the work we’re doing now will lead to something great in the future. For me, being part of that journey is a given.