VEM

What VEM does

VEM is a privately held Swedish executive search, recruitment, and interim management firm founded in 2002, headquartered in Jönköping with a secondary office in Värnamo. Operating under the legal name VEM i Småland AB (also styled as VEM Chefsrekrytering & Interim AB), the firm serves organizations across southern Sweden that need to fill business-critical leadership positions and qualified specialist roles, ranging from local businesses to multinational corporations. The firm has no parent company, no disclosed external investors, and is owned and controlled by its managing partners.

The company's service portfolio comprises three core offerings: permanent executive recruitment (Rekrytering), interim management placement (covering interim CEO, CFO, HR, production, and IT roles), and Second Opinion / Personbedömning, an add-on candidate assessment module that combines deep interviews, psychological testing, and structured reference checking. These services are supported by a curated Candidate Network (Kandidatnätverk) for talent matching and an Interim Consultant Network (Interimsnätverk) for rapid interim resource deployment. The methodology is consultative and relationship-driven, with dedicated researchers embedded in every assignment and a stated emphasis on understanding client business challenges before proposing solutions.

VEM operates a sales-led, direct enterprise GTM model. Consultants manage the full recruitment engagement from needs analysis through candidate placement, with the firm relying on its website (vem.se), LinkedIn presence, thought-leadership content, and referrals from existing clients for demand generation. Pricing is custom, engagement-based, and not publicly disclosed; there are no standard rate cards. The technology stack is minimal and consists primarily of the ReachMee applicant tracking system for managing job applications. The firm currently lists approximately seven named consultants and researchers, including VD Mats Tidstrand (in role since March 2025), Senior Consultant Catharina Bülow, and Consultants/Researchers Martin Gerhardsson, Lina Vejdeland, and Elin Elmeke.

Name

VEM

Legal name

VEM i Småland AB

Website

https://vem.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VEM is a Swedish executive search, recruitment, and interim management firm founded in 2002, serving organizations across southern Sweden with permanent leadership placement, interim executive staffing, and candidate assessment services from offices in Jönköping and Värnamo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAGAF

Vendor Management System (VMS) & MSP-Led Contractor Programs

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Contract Staffing & Independent Contractor Management

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Interim management
• Leadership recruitment
• Candidate assessment
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

Jönköping

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Recruitment Services: Project-based executive search and recruitment services for filling leadership positions and qualified specialist roles. Fees are charged per completed recruitment assignment.
2. Interim Management Services: Placement of interim executives and specialists to fill temporary leadership needs. Consultants are sourced from VEM's network and placed with client organizations.
3. Second Opinion / Personbedömning: Candidate assessment and evaluation services including psychological testing, deep interviews, and structured reference checking to help clients quality-assure their recruitment decisions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VEM is a Swedish professional services firm specializing in executive search, recruitment, and interim management. The company recruits permanent leaders and qualified specialists for client organizations, places interim executives to cover temporary leadership gaps or change projects, and provides external candidate assessments (Second Opinion / Personbedömning) through psychological testing, deep interviews, and structured reference checks to validate clients' hiring decisions.

Product overview

VEM is a professional services firm offering a unified portfolio of three interconnected HR solutions: executive Recruitment (rekrytering) of permanent leaders and specialists, Interim Management (interim management) providing temporary executive placements, and Second Opinion (personbedömning) delivering external candidate assessment to supplement clients' own hiring processes. These services are supported by VEM's proprietary Candidate Network (kandidatnätverk) for talent matching and an Interim Consultant Network (interimsnätverk) for rapid interim resource deployment. The offering covers the full talent acquisition lifecycle from needs identification through placement, with additional quality assurance via psychological testing and structured interviews.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rekrytering (Recruitment) Permanent executive search and recruitment of senior executives, managers, and qualified specialists for client organizations across a broad spectrum of industries and company sizes in southern Sweden. Includes needs analysis, candidate research, structured interviews, and placement.
• Interim Management Provision of experienced interim executives and specialists (e.g., interim CEOs, CFOs, HR managers, production managers) to cover vacancies, drive change projects, or complement existing organizations during critical phases. Interim consultants are sourced from VEM's vetted network.
• Second Opinion (Personbedömning) An external candidate assessment and evaluation service delivering validation of competencies, personality, and job fit through deep interviews, psychological testing, and structured reference checks, helping clients quality-assure their own recruitment decisions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful placements across multiple industries and positions over 20+ years

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting major with Nordic presence; competes for Swedish CEO/board mandates and operates at the higher end of the search market VEM serves.
• Michael Page (PageGroup): Global executive search and mid-to-senior recruitment firm with established Swedish operations; competes for the same senior management and qualified specialist placements that VEM targets.
• Jefferson Wells (ManpowerGroup): Global executive search and interim management brand operating in Sweden under ManpowerGroup; overlaps VEM's interim management and senior recruitment offerings but with broader geographic reach and corporate backing.
• Robert Walters Sweden: Global executive search and professional recruitment firm with a Stockholm office; competes in the same Swedish market for senior specialist and leadership placements.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with Nordic practice targeting senior leadership and board placements; same core activity as VEM but at a substantially larger scale and international scope.

Direct peers

• Poolia: Swedish recruitment and staffing firm with a strong presence in executive search, professional placement, and interim management across Sweden — directly overlaps VEM's three core service lines and southern Sweden client footprint.
• Wise Professionals (Wise Group): Swedish-listed recruitment and staffing group that includes executive search and interim management brands (e.g., Wise Executive), competing head-to-head with VEM in the Swedish manager/specialist segment.
• TNG (The Next Generation): Swedish recruitment and staffing firm focused on unbiased, skills-based executive and professional recruitment; directly competitive in the same SMB/enterprise search and interim mandate space as VEM.

Regional players

• Signium International: International executive search consortium with Nordic country presence; competes for senior management and board mandates across the Nordics with an alternative partnership-based model.

Emerging players

• Anders Hartwall (Part of Hejdokument / consultant network): Independent Swedish executive search and interim management consultant; a smaller-scale direct peer competing for similar southern Sweden mid-market mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/mats-tidstrand
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VEM