Tell us about yourself
I’ve spent my entire career at the intersection of technology, operations and financial services. I’m originally from Sweden, and over the years I’ve worked across multiple countries, leading global engineering, payments and risk teams.
What motivates me today is exactly what motivated me at the beginning: building technology that removes friction, unlocks value and makes complex systems feel simple for the people using them. That’s the lens through which I approach my role at HBX Group.
How did you end up in the world of fintech and payments?
Early in my career, I joined a company that was trying to solve very hard problems in global money movement, such as routing transactions across borders, managing fraud risk and ensuring compliance at scale. I quickly realised two things.
First, payments are the invisible infrastructure that keeps the world running. Second, the sector rewards people who enjoy solving real-world complexity. That combination hooked me.
Since then, I’ve led teams in Fintech, insurance and payments platforms, always gravitating toward environments where technology can fundamentally improve the customer experience.
What does HBX Group do, and what is your role as Chief Information Officer?
HBX Group is a leading global B2B travel technology marketplace that connects distributors with over 330,000 travel products worldwide. Although many people know us for our accommodation offering, we’ve evolved into a full ecosystem that includes experiences, mobility, transfers, car rental, payments and travel technology solutions for partners.
As Chief Information Officer, my role is to ensure that our technology foundation is strong, scalable and ready for the next decade of transformation. That means overseeing our platforms, data architecture, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, as well as Fintech and Insurance. My team and I make sure that every innovation we launch is secure, compliant and able to operate at the global scale our partners expect.
What are some of the biggest technology priorities you’re currently focused on at HBX Group?
The first priority we have at HBX Group is deepening the use of AI across pricing, sourcing, operations and customer experience. We’re already automating workflows that used to take days and reducing them to minutes, and that’s just the beginning.
The second is strengthening our data platform so that our partners benefit from more dynamic insights, granular demand signals, predictive models and personalisation capabilities that help them grow.
The third is continuing to modernise our architecture so we can innovate faster and bring new verticals, like our payments solutions or insurance, into one seamless ecosystem.
Ultimately, our goal is to create travel technology that adapts in real time to market behaviour.
You’ve worked across payments, fintech and insurance. How are these industries changing right now?
All three are converging. The old boundaries between “payments”, “risk”, “insurance” and “travel services” are dissolving because customers expect integrated journeys, not fragmented touchpoints.
The first major shift is the move toward real-time everything, where payments, compliance checks, fraud detection and even underwriting increasingly happen instantaneously. This evolution is reshaping expectations across the ecosystem: partners no longer accept delays or batch processes, and travellers expect transactions and verifications to be completed in real time. These capabilities reduce risk, improve conversion and create a smoother experience for everyone involved.
The second shift is the rise of embedded financial services, with insurance, financing and protection becoming part of the booking flow itself rather than standalone add-ons. This integration creates a more intuitive customer journey and unlocks new revenue opportunities for travel platforms. More importantly, it ensures travellers receive the protection and financial options they need at precisely the right moment, with minimal friction and higher uptake.
The third major shift is the acceleration of AI-driven automation, which is transforming everything from fraud prevention to claims processing and smart payment routing. AI is enabling companies to operate with greater accuracy, speed and consistency, reducing manual workload while improving outcomes. What used to require large operational teams can now be handled by intelligent systems that continuously learn, adapt and optimise.
What are the biggest challenges companies face today when building secure and scalable payment systems?
Two challenges stand out. The first is complexity: global payments involve hundreds of regulatory regimes, risk models, currencies, payment methods and partners. Building a system that works seamlessly everywhere is extremely difficult.
The second is trust. Customers expect payments to “just work”, but behind the scenes you’re managing fraud, chargebacks, settlement, reconciliation, FX exposure and security. Balancing frictionless customer experience with robust risk controls is one of the hardest problems in technology.
How does HBX Group approach innovation while still staying compliant and managing risk?
We innovate with a clear principle: fast, but safe. That means developing in short cycles, testing with real data and validating with partners early, but always with governance, security and regulatory compliance baked into the process.
We operate in more than 180 source markets, so our systems must be resilient, auditable and compliant from day one. Risk management is not a checkpoint at the end; it’s an integral part of how we design and deploy every product. This allows us to innovate quickly without compromising the trust that our partners place in us.
What role does data play in HBX Group’s strategy, and how do you ensure it’s used responsibly?
Data is one of our strongest strategic assets. We process 7.8 billion searches every day, which gives us a unique perspective on global demand patterns. That insight fuels better pricing, better contracting, better personalisation and better decision-making for our partners.
But equally important is responsibility. We follow strict governance models to ensure transparency, consent and ethical use of data. Our approach is simple: use data to create value for partners, never to create risk. That means clearly defining ownership, reducing data exposure, ensuring encryption everywhere and building models that are explainable and auditable.
AI is everywhere right now. How do you see AI impacting payments and financial services over the next few years?
AI will reshape the entire lifecycle of payments. Fraud prevention will become more predictive and less intrusive.
Reconciliation and settlement will become near-instant. Customer support will shift to AI-first models where issues are resolved in seconds.
In addition, I expect agentic AI to transform the booking and payment flow. We will move from customers making payments to AI agents coordinating them on the customer’s behalf. It’s a profound shift, and it will require new standards for identity, trust and interoperability.
You’ve helped build and grow businesses before. What lessons from that experience have influenced how you lead today?
The first lesson is that culture matters more than strategy. If you build teams that collaborate, take ownership and move quickly, almost any strategy can succeed.
The second is that simplicity wins. Large organisations often add complexity without realising it. My job is to remove friction—technical, operational, organisational— so teams can deliver with clarity and speed.
The third is that people need context. I believe in transparency: explaining the “why”, not just the “what”. When teams understand the purpose, they innovate with far more conviction.
What excites you most about the future of HBX Group, and what should the industry be watching closely?
The most exciting part is how fast the industry is changing. Travel, payments and mobility are converging into a single ecosystem, and HBX Group is uniquely positioned at that intersection. We have the scale, the data, the technology and the relationships to build something genuinely transformative.
What the industry should watch closely is the shift from fragmented platforms to integrated, intelligent travel infrastructure. AI will connect sourcing, distribution, payments, risk, mobility and product personalisation in ways we’re only beginning to imagine.
