Former party leader and prime ministerial candidate Anna Kinberg Batra has had multiple contacts with Look Closer – first as the subject of an in-depth background check and later when she returned as a client.
Anna Kinberg Batra succeeded Fredrik Reinfeldt as leader of the Moderate Party after the Alliance for Sweden’s election defeat in 2014. Before taking up the post, she had her first contact with Look Closer when they conducted an in-depth background check on her. The whole process was part of Anna Kinberg Batra’s preparations for shouldering her new, more public role. The background check culminated in an in-depth interview, during which Look Closer presented their findings and went through a long list of questions designed to identify any potential issues or concerns.
“The interview was tense and scary, bordering on unpleasant. They had a big folder full of questions and we sat there for several hours. I was surprised by how much they had managed to dig up. It was still useful, and better to do it in a controlled environment, rather than having a newspaper reporter calling up and challenging me,” says Anna Kinberg Batra.
She stresses that it is only natural for a person in this kind of position to expect such strong scrutiny and that she was prepared for the interview to be thorough and exhaustive.
She also points out the importance of knowing what risks you are taking when you enter a public role. It makes things much easier if you are aware that things from your past might bubble up to the surface.
“Becoming a public figure is a very particular experience. If you know in advance what might crop up, you can also prepare how you might react. Everyone has something embarrassing in their past, otherwise you haven’t lived. The question is how you handle this when it becomes public, because it will.”
Today, Anna Kinberg Batra is an active board member and speaker, and it is this board work that has brought her back to Look Closer as a client. Look Closer has conducted background checks in preparation for investments, acquisitions and the recruitment of board members.
“It is reassuring to have properly checked up on the people you are dealing with, ahead of an investment for example. It makes you feel even more confident about your decisions. Look Closer’s checks were the deepest I have ever experienced, even when I worked in management recruitment.”
See the whole interview here:
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