About

Henrik Fromme began his legal career in 2000 working in private practice, first moving to the in-house sector with Preem in 2007, where he stayed until 2011 when he assumed a position as an in-house lawyer with Bankgirot. Promoted to the general counsel role in 2013, he currently leads the legal team and provides a crucial service by allowing the business to realise its business objectives in a legally secure and compliant way. Fromme takes pride in being a pragmatic and business oriented lawyer, trying to find the best ways to combine the conflicting needs for both thoroughness and efficiency. He states: ‘I have worked hard changing the mind-set within the legal department to ensure we are more proactive and profit-orientated, rather than reactive and cost-orientated. It is also necessary to take the time to explain complex legal issues to non-lawyers. I feel that we, as a company, are now focusing on the real issues, rather than fighting legal turf fights with counterparts that probably promotes your ego rather than your employer’. One of Fromme’s most proud achievements at Bankgirot is to do with his work on the development of a real time payment system, the first of its kind in the world. Fromme and his teams’ diligent work on this system was critical as it ensured all legal hurdles were crossed, eventually having the impact of ‘transforming the entire payment scheme landscape in Sweden’, stemming from long negotiations, brainstorming and contract drafting together with lawyers, financial supervisory authorities and central banks. Fromme’s outstanding contributions at Bankgirot have led him to a place in the company’s executive management, and company CEO Janette Jäger sums up his value to the business as follows: ‘I value [Fromme] for his keen eye for corporate governance and his ability to stay calm even during hectic circumstances. He is pragmatic, a real team player and has good business acumen. In addition, his warmth and sense of humour brings the personal touch that makes him outstanding’.