Stefan Vanoverbeke, CEO of IKEA Southeast Europe – Curiosity makes the world go round

(Stefan Vanoverbeke) “I'd like my co-workers to be able to say when they're 80 that it was nice working with me, that those were good times...”

Stefan Vanoverbeke is CEO of IKEA Southeast Europe (Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Romania, with the headquarters in Belgrade). He was born and educated in Belgium. Prior to coming to Serbia, he worked as CEO in IKEA France. He started his career in this company, in the storage section of the department store in Belgium. He was also the manager of the department store in the country and of the one in Italy, as well as CEO of IKEA Poland.

In his interview for eKapija, he discusses business and private plans, leadership, hobbies, experiences he has learned from the most...

The film-like career of a director who was not meant to be

– When you're 16, you think you know everything... In fact, you know nothing, it's just that it takes you many years to realize that. When I was 16, I was in love with the idea of being a movie director. “Get a degree first, and then be a director”, my father said and he was right. It's not so great being a director in Belgium.

I studied at the Catholic University of Leuven, got a civil engineering degree and then graduated with an MA in social sciences.

IKEA is the only company I've ever worked for and I started in a warehouse. This was in 1993, after my military service. It was not easy to find a job at the time, and I wanted to find one no matter what. I worked there for about a week and was then offered by my supervisors to be transferred to the sales sector. That's how my IKEA career, now over two decades long, started.

I advanced, changed several positions in facilities throughout Belgium. I was that much more dedicated for being appointed to responsible positions so young, and the imperative was not to betray the trust given. At 31, I was the manager of a department store and was responsible for several hundred employees.

After working in Belgium for several years, I got the opportunity to become the manager of the department store in Bologna. I had only been to Italy as a tourist, but I still jumped at the opportunity. The experience of having lived in various countries definitely changes you and cannot be compared to anything else. You can never truly know a country until you've become its citizen. IKEA often provides such opportunities to its employees, which is very important, especially for young people.

Italy is entirely different from Belgium, but it is certainly a wonderful country. There's so much to see, taste, experience...

I was eating spaghetti one day when I got a call from the then Global CEO. After exchanging pleasantries, he said: “Listen, I'll just cut to the chase – we're looking for a CEO for Poland.” I counted to three and said - “I accept!”.

– Have you ever been to Poland?
– Never in my life?
– Would you like to go there first and then decide?
– There's no need to, the answer is “yes”.

I went to a book store right away and bought a tourist guide. I spent 4 years in Poland, and then I went to France, the third biggest IKEA market in the world and an entirely different environment than anything before.

A little over 2 years ago, I arrived in Belgrade to my current position of CEO of IKEA South East Europe – a market of remarkable possibilities and potential for development, which is just beginning its expansion. In my opinion, Serbia is somewhere between Poland and Italy in its sensibility. People are cordial, welcoming, family-oriented, just like in Poland, and there's also a bit of the Mediterranean mentality, in which they are similar to Italians.

“I believe in outsourcing”

Vision comes first, but it has to be a mutual vision. I don't believe in leaders who set their own course. A leader needs to motivate people, not just in the beginning, but constantly. They need to foster the feeling of a community, team work, but also diversity, democracy...

IKEA's corporate culture is very developed and is one of the things that make us recognizable and that we are proud of. Our employees are provided with an opportunity to be creative, to express their ideas and to contribute in any segment. We find dedication important and we do not see jobs as merely the means of earning a salary. If you display ambition and skill, you will be enabled to advance. You can change states, sectors...

(From the laying down of the foundation stone in Bucharest) When picking associates, I make sure that they are open-minded and that they like working in a team. I believe that it is good to work with different personality types – both those who like to take risks and those who are careful. Also, multinational teams are a great thing, as they provide you with an incredible opportunity to learn from each other and to see the world from different perspectives.

Besides, everywhere I've worked, half of my team consisted of women and the other half of men. Why is the diversity principle needed? First of all, we all must have equal rights and opportunities, and then there's also the sheer business angle – we think differently and this variety enables us to work better and achieve better results.

I strongly believe in outsourcing, in relationships of trust, not in relationships of supervisors and subordinates. I'd like my co-workers to be able to say when they're 80 that it was nice working with me, that those were good times.

“Do you have permission?”

If you're ambitious, you are sure to make an occasional mistake. It's much better to try something new and make a mistake than not to try at all. That's why mistakes are not a problem, unless, of course, you keep repeating them.

I'm not shy talking about my biggest failure (laughs)...

When you're young, it seems like you can move mountains, and that mindset can lead to errors in judgment. I worked as the manager of a department store and I wanted to expand the commercial space, started the project... I then got a call from the country manager, who asked me angrily: “Do you have permission for what you're doing?” I realized that I had overstepped my boundaries, the matter was settled, but I've learned the lesson well and have never made the same mistake again.

On happiness

Weekends are not for working, weekends are for the family. I have two children, a daughter of 8 and a son of 6, which is why I need this so much. I always point out how important the family is. For example, it was my mother who gave me some of the most important pieces of advice.

Hobbies, sports, traveling – all of this is irreplaceable, especially if you have a responsible job. Free time is there for you to recharge your batteries, to see the world through different eyes, to develop your creativity. It builds you up as a personality, which is reflected on your work as well. It's quite simple, really – you should be happy both professionally and privately.

I like to read, like contemporary art, like to travel and explore new cultures. I also like to cook and experiment in the kitchen, with fish being my specialty. Maybe that's why my favorite IKEA products are kitchen elements. As for outdoor products, the IKEA watering can is my favorite.

“I'm still young...”

IKEA has big plans and expectation for Serbia and the region in the upcoming years. We will enhance the existing facilities and work on new ones. Our ambition is to contribute to the development of Serbia parallel to the development of the company, both through cooperation with various partners and promotion of the values IKEA fosters in terms of human resources and the way it treats natural resources, the environment, the concept of sustainability etc. Serbia is an incredible country, but there's still a lot that needs to be done. I've already mentioned the strengthening of women, and I'll emphasize this again, along with another thing – men need to adopt different roles within the family in order to encourage women to develop professionally.

I turned 50 in 2017, so I'm still young (laughs)... I hope I'll keep my curiosity, inquisitiveness and my desire to learn. That's what makes the world go round.

Milica Milosavljevic

IKEA Srbija d.o.o. Beograd

IKEA Belgrade

IKEA Southeast Europe

Stefan Vanoverbeke

Stefan Vanoverbeke biography

IKEA CEO

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civil engineer

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Leuven

furniture industry

IKEA department stores

IKEA Serbia

contemporary art

cooking

cuisine

IKEA kitchens

IKEA watering can

leadership

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