Giving users the best experience

After leading some large transformation projects at Svenska Spel and PayPal, Hanna Lindqvist was sure of one thing – never again. Nevertheless, she’s once again in charge of just such a project in Schibsted, creating a common platform for all Nordic marketplaces.

But Hanna seems calm and confident. The change is motivated by a clear goal: to give users of Schibsted marketplaces the best possible experience.

“When I came to Blocket two years ago, we worked as if conditions were the same for selling different things on the same platform, but different in different countries. Now we know that the user needs are similar when selling a car in all countries – but different from selling a t-shirt.”

That’s why Finn in Norway, Blocket in Sweden, Tori and Oikotie in Finland, and DBA and Bilbasen in Denmark are now cooperating to develop the best service in four categories. They will do so from the same new platform, a platform developed from one of Schibsted’s four exciting marketplace platforms, but good stuff from the others will be integrated.

“We talk about closing gaps,” Hanna explains. “This means testing and finding out what works and fixing what doesn’t.”

Making a shift like this is very business critical – and complicated. You can’t fail, and as you make the transition, business must run as usual.

The strongest upside for Hanna is working with all the people in different countries, and that confidence of hers relies on one simple fact.

“The transformation is made by our own people, people who know the platforms and the business.”

He hacks to keep companies secure

He started his Schibsted journey as an engineer at Mitt Anbud four years ago. After coming second in a Schibsted hacking competition, a part of Schibsted’s security program, Deng Wuor Joak transitioned into the field of cyber security. He has since built a security program for both Mitt Anbud and Distribution Innovation to make sure that their systems are safe.

Distribution Innovation has developed new technology for logistics and more than 2.2 million deliveries each night are enabled by their services in Sweden, Norway and Finland.

“If we get hacked, most of the newspapers and parcels that are supposed to land on the doorsteps in a large part of the Nordics wouldn’t get there,” Deng says.

When he started at DI, the company lacked a security program, so he built one from scratch. The company’s security has gone through a large transition, since the development of this security strategy.

And Deng knows what he’s fighting for. After the hacking competition, his boss at Mitt Anbud asked him to ethically hack their site. As a result of the hacking, Deng found a severe vulnerability in their systems that he presented to other engineers. This led to a job offer from Distribution Innovation.

“Hacking got me into this field and I still find it challenging and exciting to find potential vulnerabilities.”

Using AI to strengthen news

Eivind Hjertholm Fiskerud has a long and storied history in Schibsted, having worked in several positions within Schibsted and Bergens Tidende. Now, he serves as Project Lead for Nextgen Newsrooms in Schibsted News Media, taking a central role in our work with AI.

“I’ve long been very interested in how we can use data to strengthen our news media,” Eivind says. When it comes to using AI in News Media, Eivind says it comes down to strengthening the journalists in their profession. Enhancing investigative journalism, using AI for creative storytelling, and making every day easier for our journalists by using AI for time-consuming tasks, letting them focus on the journalistic core.

News Media’s work in AI begins with a clear stance on how we use AI, grounded in our longstanding tradition of journalistic ethics.

“It’s important for Schibsted to be in the forefront in this area, to take responsibility and make sure AI is used in a responsible and trustworthy manner,” Eivind says.