In our latest episode of the Digoshen Exploring Leaders podcast, we’re joined by Lars Husberg—an experienced board chair, transformation strategist, and advisor to family businesses. Together, we dive deep into themes that are more important than ever in today’s business landscape: owner-board-management collaboration, foresight and scenario planning, innovation stewardship, sustainability as a strategic driver, and the evolving role of the board chair.
Lars’s career spans more than four decades, including senior roles at firms like IBM, PwC, and Accenture. Today, he serves as chair for three thriving family businesses. His journey is as rich as it is relevant—a testament to lifelong curiosity, people-centered leadership, and the courage to think beyond the obvious.
A Journey Rooted in Purpose and Possibility
Lars’s professional story began with a clear ambition: to become a company doctor—someone who doesn’t just manage an organization, but truly understands and heals it. That mindset propelled him through 40 years of experience across global consulting and leadership roles in family-owned companies.
Along the way, he cultivated a deep passion for helping others succeed. Leadership, for Lars, is fundamentally about energy—enabling people to bring their best ideas and full selves into the work. His perspective is also shaped by significant lessons. One of the most formative moments? Losing what could have been one of IBM’s largest deals. But as Lars puts it, growth often begins in failure. Embracing risk and learning from missteps has been core to his evolution as a leader.
Leading Through the Fog: Strategy and Foresight
When the future is foggy—and it often is—Lars believes the solution isn’t to predict everything, but to create clarity. That clarity begins by looking outward. Instead of relying on traditional, inside-out strategy, Lars adopted an outside-in foresight approach.
He led his companies through the development of three distinct “future pictures”—narratives of what could lie ahead based on insights from both employees and customers. These scenarios didn’t just inform strategy—they energized the organization. Teams returned from customer conversations feeling inspired and confident. By exploring different potential outcomes, Lars helped his organizations build a dynamic growth portfolio while fostering a culture of strategic agility.
Boards That Drive, Not Just Observe
Recognizing that strategic insight requires deep understanding, Lars helped reshape board work from the inside out. He began by aligning the board’s calendar with management’s, transitioning from static meetings to interactive, workshop-style sessions.
He also led a board-wide learning initiative, where directors were immersed in the realities of the business—from customer needs to the inner workings of product development. The shift wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. As Lars reflects, many boards assume they know the business well enough—but few have the full picture. Once that knowledge gap was acknowledged, the door opened to a more active, strategic board.
Innovation as a Shared Responsibility
For Lars, innovation isn’t a buzzword or a side initiative—it’s integrated directly into foresight and strategy. By anchoring innovation efforts to the previously defined future scenarios, the board and management are able to monitor progress in real time.
The organizations he leads now operate with a 15-month rolling plan, replacing rigid annual budgeting cycles with a more agile approach. This shift has unlocked creativity and responsiveness, ensuring that innovation remains relevant and grounded in market realities.
The Chairman as a Leader, Not Just a Facilitator
Lars redefines the role of the board chair—not as a passive facilitator, but as a leader of leaders. His priority is to inspire, energize, and encourage everyone around him to think bigger and act bolder.
He actively supports and challenges CEOs through regular, trust-based conversations. He brings younger, fast-paced board members into the mix to increase the board’s tempo and agility. And he continuously cultivates a culture where strategy, innovation, and learning flow freely.
Sustainability: Future-Proofing in Action
In family businesses especially, sustainability has a natural home. As Lars puts it, a family business doesn’t think in quarters—they think in generations. Their horizon is 25 years, not three months. That long-term view makes them uniquely positioned to lead in sustainability.
Lars is now helping boards move beyond compliance and regulation, uncovering the strategic essence of sustainability. The goal isn’t just to report ESG metrics—it’s to build transition plans that are authentic, actionable, and future-focused.
Owner-Board-Management (OBM) Collaboration: From Concept to Culture
Lars’s work is also grounded in the OBM model from Boardman, which emphasizes clear roles and mutual alignment across owners, board, and management.
He believes owner strategy can’t answer every question, but it can offer guiding principles. What’s critical is the dialogue—regular, transparent conversations that help everyone stay aligned. One powerful anchor in this dialogue is risk appetite. Before a business can make bold moves, the people guiding it must understand how much risk they’re willing to take—and how they’ll share it.
Final Thoughts: Inspiration for Leaders and Board Members
Lars Husberg’s leadership journey offers a refreshing blend of humility, insight, and boldness. He reminds us that great leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about asking the right questions, listening deeply, and building energy in others.
Whether you’re a chair, CEO, or aspiring board member, his approach provides a clear and courageous roadmap for navigating complexity, embracing innovation, and shaping a sustainable future.
Want to hear more?
Listen to the full podcast episode with Lars Husberg: Leading the Board in Family Businesses with Chair Lars Husberg
Podcast Episode at Spotify
Leading the Board in Family Businesses with Chair Lars Husberg by Exploring Leaders by Digoshen
In this episode of Exploring Leaders by Digoshen we’re joined by Lars Husberg-an experienced board chair, transformation strategist, and advisor to family businesses. Together, we dive deep into themes that are more important than ever in today’s business landscape: owner-board-management collaboration, foresight and scenario planning, innovation stewardship, sustainability as a strategic driver, and the evolving role of the board chair.
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Podcast Episode at Youtube
Leading the Board in Family Businesses with Chair Lars Husberg
In this episode of the Digoshen Exploring Leaders podcast, we’re joined by Lars Husberg-an experienced board chair, transformation strategist, and advisor to family businesses. Together, we dive deep into themes that are more important than ever in today’s business landscape: owner-board-management collaboration, foresight and scenario planning, innovation stewardship, sustainability as a strategic driver, and the evolving role of the board chair.
Connect with Lars on LinkedIn
Meet with Lars at the upcoming NED Program: 23-25 April 2025, Paris celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the NED Program aligns with ChangeNOW 2025
Follow the Digoshen Exploring Leaders Podcast for more stories and insights from trailblazing leaders, and welcome to share.
Upcoming Opportunities to learn more
April 14 – EMEA Board Priorities, Open and including EY and ACCA Board Network
April 23-25 – NED Program by CGI Celebrating 10th Anniversary Paris Agreement and aligned with ChangeNOW 2025
May 7 – Global Risk Report 2025: Is your Business Future Proof Open and hosted by Climate Governance Initiative
May 12-13 – Executive Board Program in collaboration with INSEAD – Scandinavian Executive Institute
Aug- Nov – Nordic In-Board Academy – INSEAD Alumni Network Members
Upcoming updated research and book after summer on AI Leadership for Boards, by author Liselotte Engstam, Fernanda Torre, Professor Robin Teigland and contributor Professor Stanislav Shekshnia, supported by Internetstiftelsen.
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June – Digital and AI Savvy Boards – Boards Impact Forum with MIT ( Date TBC, Prel June 5 Late Afternoon CET)
Autumn – Boards Oversight of Responsible AI for Value Creation – Boards Impact Forum
Autumn – Boards Oversight of Sustainability for Value Creation – Boards Impact Forum
Individual Coaching and Board Workshop Series
Contact Digoshen
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About Digoshen
This blog post was originally shared at the blog of Digoshen www.digoshen.com, the blog of Boards Impact Forum www.boardsimpactforum.com and the blog of the Digoshen founder www.liselotteengstam.com,
At Digoshen, we work hard to increase #futureinsights and help remove #digitalblindspots and #sustainabilityblindspots. We believe that Companies, Boards, and Business Leadership Teams need to understand more about the future and the digital & sustainable world to fully leverage the potential when bringing their business into the digital & more sustainable age. If you are a board member, consider joining our international board network and master programs.
Welcome to also explore the Digoshen Chatbot on AI Leadership for Boards and Boards Impact Forum, where the Digoshen Founder is the Chair.
Find a link to Digoshen Chair Liselotte Engstam Google Scholar Page
You will find more insights via Digoshen Website, and you are welcome to follow us on LinkedIn Digoshen @ Linkedin and twitter: @digoshen and founder @liseeng