Page 9 - Gustaf Douglas: Classic Sweden

Prologue

Coming home from the USA I joined a management Business
consultancy company where I started at the top and On my own, without a job and not much money I
picked up practical knowledge. It was like the ”case had started on my own with risky trading at the
method” I learnt at HBS, but for real. After a few years Exchange. With some partners we also traded in real
I got an offer few would have accepted – to be head of estate, I was happy when this partnership came to an
administration and economy at the second national end and I could be on my own making my family the
TV channel. A thrilling and challenging time followed only partners. That was indeed a good decision but
exactly at the time when politics took a big leap to the quite an adventure. Out of this voyage came a group
left in Sweden. I stayed on for three years and worked of companies and shares that turned out to be
with many exiting and creative people. You could successful. In most of these companies we had
safely say that media in general and TV2 was not a partners. I am indeed grateful that we survived and
favorite among business people. But I have to say that managed with the good executives to build some of
I learned a lot about how to get people to work with the companies that came to take leading roles in their
one another. industry. I gradually, as I got older, left the board‐
After having been at TV2 for three years it was time positions in the quoted companies, in several
to leave. To my great surprise I was soon thereafter, at instances to our two children. Then I could pursue my
the age of 34, offered to become CEO of ”Dagens life‐long interest in politics and collecting stamps.
Nyheter Newspaper Group”. It was not a giant
company but it was a very important one and quite Some notes on philately in Sweden
complex to run. After a formidable change in from the early years
newspaper technology and a total transformation of If you read Swedish descriptions of philately from
production, a new chairman came in and sacked me early days and compare them with descriptions of
to my own surprise. today, you will find large differences. You could find
In 1980 I was without a job and had to seek
descriptions of collections being sold or exhibited
employment with the most difficult boss around including items of special interest. At various
– myself. A new company was formed to be the base. meetings of philatelists there were instances when
Most of the time the stamps were put aside for the members displayed their collections, and notes about
process of buying and transforming companies, the collections were published. In auction catalogues
initially with a very narrow equity base. But through there were also presentations of various collections
perilous times and lots of luck something good came being sold. The sale of the ”Ferrary collections” led to
out. I got all the freedom I had dreamt of by a mixture sales in Sweden by leading dealers such as Heinrich
of luck, timing, good co‐workers and family. and his son Eric Lichtenstein and Harry Wennberg.
Harry Wennberg was quite an entrepreneur and very
Politics active in the trade even managing to get the Post to
After the great disaster in the 2002 election ”the issue beneficial stamps to support the defense of
Moderate Party” went through a total change of goals, Sweden. Wennberg was a master in getting matters go
means and people. I was asked to be a member of the his way. In these circumstances there were instances
board and took part in the change as a board member when a particular item might be referred to as being
of ”the Moderates”. In 2006 we won the election and one out of six recorded. But if someone wanted to go
”the Moderates” formed a new government in an into precise knowledge there were very few useful
alliance with three other parties. souces.
In 2010 a second victory was scored and the alliance Whatever knowledge there was need for, it had to be
of parties held togetherI had much to learn from this accumulated during many years of collecting, talking
political experience and it has been a privilege to to fellow philatelists and having a good relation to the
participate in forming politics and strategies. It was leading dealers. Tomas Bjäringer and I have found
great to learn differences between business and some interesting data on early collections and
politics. I gained a lot of respect for the way in which provenance especially based on Tomas’s resourceful
”the Moderates” were changed and how Sweden came library.
to be run.