There has been quite a stir around Governor Anna Kinberg Batra since it was revealed that in February she hired a friend for a top job at the County Board in Stockholm, a job that was never advertised, something The evening paper be the first to tell.
The newspaper has previously revealed how Anna Kinberg Batra hired another close friend as the new top manager. That job wasn’t advertised either, apart from a note at reception, and only the friend applied.
– It’s no secret that I knew who these people were before and that they were highly qualified for the tasks they help us solve. But there should be no need to question how it is done. It has done that now and I don’t intend to repeat that, says Anna Kinberg Batra.
Kinberg Batra further says that it is especially important to get it right when you know someone from a long time ago, which she did in both cases. But that what happened has happened and she must now take responsibility for it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
– It is clear that in retrospect I think this did not turn out well. It raises questions about how we work, how I work and also questions of trust, she says.
Damaged trust
The approach has provoked strong reactions, including that it would be about corruption, but Anna Kinberg Batra does not agree with that and says that she recruits based on competence. However, she admits that when the approach is now being questioned, it would have been better to have done it differently from the start, such as advertising as widely as possible from the start:
– This is ultimately about the trust in me as head of the authority, I want everyone to be able to trust the County Administrative Board in Stockholm and also me. It is important that what we do is done in the right way, says Kinberg Batra.
Remains as governor
Anna Kinberg Batra says that she understands that people are wondering and that some are angry, but that she wants to be clear that it is about two very highly qualified people who would certainly have received the information even in fierce competition.
– But of course it would have been better if questions had not been raised about how it happened, she says.
Anna Kinberg Batra says in the interview that she is looking forward to remaining as governor of Stockholm County. She believes that trust in the authority has been damaged by the reporting on how the recruitments went and that it is ultimately her job to ensure that it is rebuilt.
– I need to get better at that, and we can certainly develop that within the authority in the future as well. We should not have to be questioned, says Governor Anna Kinberg Batra.