Road RUNNER Innovative CEO ANDERS HEDIN on his passion for work and the secrets to his success.

By Yuki Hayashi

After nearly 40 years at the helm of his automotive empire, one might expect Anders Hedin to direct his Bombardier Challenger 350 to the Swiss Alps or the French Riveria for some well-deserved downtime. But the owner and CEO of Sweden’s Hedin Group has built a career of defying expectations.

“We had a house in Saint-Tropez, which is a fantastic place, but we sold it because we didn’t have time to go there often enough,” says Hedin. “My favorite journey is probably from home to the o ce.”

Hedin’s base is Gothenburg, but the family-owned company retails a coveted portfolio of 46 car brands—including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Land Rover and Jaguar—across much of Europe. Hedin Group was founded in 1985 through the acquisition of a Mercedes-Benz and Nissan dealership, and has grown over the decades to encompass more than 260 dealerships with employees across 13 countries, alongside ventures in distribution, mobility, construction and real estate.

In 2023, Hedin Group launches the iconic Ford F-150 in the European market. It’s a move that may raise eyebrows given Europe’s purported preference for smaller cars, but Hedin is unperturbed. “There is a pretty strong history of American cars in Europe. We started importing Dodge and Ram in 2016 and we know that some markets, like Sweden, Germany, Holland, and Belgium, love big pickups. So, we believe the ‘American icon’ has very good opportunities to build a strong customer base in Europe,” he explains.

Despite being someone who appreciates the romance of a strong brand heritage—“Mercedes-Benz is close to my heart,” he says—Hedin is attuned to a growing segment of the automotive market: drivers who don’t want the commitment of ownership or even long-term leasing. For several years now, its businesses within modern mobility o er these drivers alternatives such as subscriptions and short-term rentals. “Many people, both younger and middle class, are driven towards simpler car use and we need to be a part of that, o ering digital customer journeys, flexible car rentals and so on. We see that change not only in the Nordics but down in Europe as well,” he explains.

When asked what fuels his passion for work, Hedin says it is “the constant change and evolution that is the nature of this business, which has accelerated over the past decade. Being part of building this European company, it’s not just a job; it’s my hobby and my lifestyle,” he says.

Fittingly, Hedin’s 200 hours of annual flight time typically take him to and from work, wherever that may be. “With an operation of nearly 300 sites across Europe, for me private aviation is more of a necessity—a prerequisite—than it is an extravagance. With my own aircraft, I can be in Ålesund in western Norway in the morning, Joensuu in eastern Finland in the afternoon and home in Gothenburg in the evening,” he explains.

Hedin’s Challenger 350 has been key to his business success, and he sees parallels between Hedin Group and Bombardier. “Basically, there is a family behind the company, and you feel that it is a reliable and trustworthy family. That’s how I perceive Bombardier and that’s how I hope people perceive the Hedin Group,” he says.

The family company is in the middle of an ambitious growth spurt. “Five years ago, we had turnover of 1.5 billion euros, for 2022 it reached around 5.2 billion euros. Now we aim for 10 billion euros,” he explains. Hedin intends to be there every step of the way.

One destination on his radar is Canada, to take possession of a prized new acquisition. “I’m looking forward to riding my new Challenger 3500 on its maiden voyage from Montreal to Gothenburg,” he reveals. 