Pernilla's thesis became the starting point for her career at LKAB and at the moment she works as Group Manager within HR. She believes that employee participation is crucial to achieving results.
Who is Pernilla?
I was born and raised in Kiruna. I started working at 14 in the restaurant industry and have worked as a Chef, Restaurant Manager and Project Manager. At the same time as I had a full-time job, I then studied the Sociology Program with a focus on human and work sciences at the Luleå University of Technology (LTU). I wrote my thesis at LKAB, which led to various jobs in the HR field.
What do you do at work?
I am the Group Manager within what we at LKAB call "HR Shared Services" - a section where we have gathered HR-related areas such as salaries, training, recruitment and personnel administration. I lead and assign the daily operations of a group that works with, among other things, recruitment, health and personnel administration. I work with strategic planning, development and achieving our goals. The goal is for us to work smart and efficiently and make it easy for the business to find the right HR person to talk to.
Why do you work at LKAB?
I was about to move south after my studies, but the job at LKAB was so exciting that it made me want to stay, and I have never regretted it. I have good colleagues and have been fortunate to have managers who give me the freedom to act, which is important to me. I also like the fact that LKAB is constantly developing, there is a will and an idea of where we are going. We are persistent and we trust our employees.
What are the challenges in your job and how do you handle them?
HR Shared Services was established in 2016, and one of the challenges has been to get the technical pieces in place, fine-tune the details and get information about our working method out to the business. It should be easy and clear to find the way to HR. How things work should be decided together, so therefore employee participation is crucial. One of my strengths in challenging situations is that I dare to ask - I am not afraid to lose my footing and trying new things.
What does LKAB's values (Committed, Innovative, Responsible) mean to you?
Committed means to take on the tasks with a full heart. For me, it is very closely related to taking responsibility for achieving the best possible result. To dare to go outside the box, outside their comfort zone, that is innovative. Sometimes you have to "test think" new ideas out loud: - What happens if we do this? What's the worst that could happen? There is room for that at LKAB, I think.
How do you see the future?
Right now, I have so many interesting and exciting challenges at work that I have not even reflected on taking any professional step in any other direction. I really enjoy it. I have a lot in common with LKAB.
Name: Pernilla Kettunen
Lives: Saittarova, a small town in Torneådalen.
Occupation: Group Manager for HR Admin in HR Shared Services
Education: Sociologist
Interests: My hunting dog Reisa. Being out in the woods and nature, both in Sweden and abroad.
Best Features: Ambitious and enduring
Biggest fault: Time optimist