Meet Gustaf Johansson, Head of Flow Technology
Back at Momentum Group – focused on the next chapter for Flow Technology
After several years at Alligo, Gustaf Johansson is returning to Momentum Group as the new Head of Business Unit Flow Technology. It is an environment he knows well – but he returns with new experience and perspectives on leadership, business development and what it takes to build strong specialist companies over time.
When Gustaf Johansson was asked to return to Momentum Group, he was already very familiar with both the business culture and the way the Group operates. His history with the Group dates back to 2010 and what was then Tools, with its roots in Bergman & Beving. When the former Momentum Group was divided in 2022, Gustaf joined Alligo, where he has held several senior positions over the past five years, including responsibility for the specialist companies as well as IT and digital development.
Now he is returning to Momentum Group to lead business unit Flow Technology.
“Ultimately, it was the combination of three things that made me say yes: the role, the people and the business model. Flow Technology is a very exciting business with strong specialist companies and significant development potential. At the same time, I know Momentum Group well and have great respect for the way the Group combines long-term ownership with clear local responsibility. When the opportunity arose, both the role and the timing felt right.”
Returning to something familiar
For Gustaf, the feeling of “coming home” is primarily about returning to a business culture he recognises.
“It is about the down-to-earth way of working, the respect for the operating companies and the belief that decisions should be made close to customers and the business. There is also a high level of ambition without making things more complicated than they need to be. That combination suits me very well.”
At the same time, his years at Alligo have given him new experience. He has worked with integration, business development and common structures in a large Nordic organisation – experiences that have also shaped his views on leadership and change.
“I have become clearer about what I expect, while at the same time becoming more humble about how different businesses and people work. Previously, I was probably more focused on quickly finding the right solution. Today, I place greater emphasis on understanding the problem, involving the right people and creating ownership of the implementation.”
His experience has also reinforced his belief in the value of simplicity and clear accountability.
“My experience has made me even more convinced of the value of simplicity, clear accountability and ensuring that common structures are only put in place where they genuinely create value for the companies.”
Specialist expertise that is difficult to replicate
Flow Technology brings together specialist companies in flow technology, where technical expertise, service and a deep understanding of customers’ applications are central to the offering. This was also an important reason why Gustaf was attracted to the role.
“The greatest strength is the deep specialist expertise. The companies know their products, applications and customers at a level that is difficult to replicate. They do not simply sell a component; they often help customers solve a technical or production-related problem.”
According to Gustaf, this is combined with strong entrepreneurship and personal commitment. Many of the companies have built their market positions over many years through close customer relationships, a high level of service and the ability to be there when customers really need support.
That is the strength he wants to build on.
“The potential does not depend on one major change. It lies in many concrete improvements – stronger sales, enhanced service offerings, knowledge sharing, stronger supplier relationships, improved pricing and disciplined acquisitions.”
Development looks different in every company
A key starting point for Gustaf is that each company should develop based on its own conditions and opportunities.
“Development does not have to mean the same thing in every company. In one company, the potential may lie in sales and market development; in another, it may be in service, pricing, the product offering or geographical expansion. Our role is to challenge, support and create better conditions, not to micromanage the businesses.”
The same principle shapes his view of collaboration within Flow Technology. The companies should retain responsibility for their customers, employees and results, while also being able to benefit from the expertise and relationships available within the Group.
“I see no contradiction between entrepreneurship and collaboration, as long as the collaboration has a clear purpose. It could be about sharing experience, introducing a sister company to a customer, developing supplier relationships or solving a customer problem together. Collaboration should happen because it makes the companies stronger – not for its own sake.”
Clarity without micromanagement
For Gustaf, decentralisation does not mean less leadership. Quite the opposite.
“Good leadership in a decentralised group requires clarity without micromanagement. You need to be clear about direction, expectations and the results to be achieved, while giving the companies the freedom to decide how to get there.”
It also requires staying close to the businesses. Understanding the reality of each company, following its development and asking the right questions are, in Gustaf’s view, essential for the model to work.
“Leadership is not about having all the answers yourself. It is about setting direction, asking relevant questions, removing obstacles and giving talented people the conditions they need to succeed.”
The freedom to keep building – without having to do it alone
Gustaf sees the combination of independence and access to a larger group as an important part of Momentum Group’s offering to entrepreneurs.
“Entrepreneurs are able to retain much of what made their company successful in the first place: its identity, customer relationships, ability to make decisions and local responsibility. They become part of a larger group without the company having to stop being itself.”
At the same time, the companies gain access to a long-term owner, capital, experience and a network of other entrepreneurs and business leaders.
“For the right entrepreneur, it is a combination of continued freedom and greater opportunities. Companies do not have to choose between remaining entrepreneurial and being part of a strong owner.”
This is also how Gustaf views his own role within Flow Technology. His first priority will be to get to know the companies and the people behind them in depth – and to understand what has made each business successful.
“I am not coming in with a ready-made standard model to apply to every company. I want to understand the businesses before drawing conclusions. At the same time, I have high ambitions for what we can achieve together.”
Building an even stronger group of specialist companies
Looking further ahead, the ambition is clear. Together with the companies, Gustaf wants to continue developing Flow Technology through both organic growth and acquisitions.
“I hope that, a few years from now, we will have built an even stronger group of market-leading specialist companies, where each company has developed its own business while we have also become better at leveraging the combined strength of Flow Technology.”
This also means welcoming more well-managed specialist companies and entrepreneurs that can add, for example, new technologies, products, customer applications or geographical markets.
For Gustaf, the new role also means returning to an environment that has played an important part in his professional development, but now with new experience and a new perspective.
“It feels both inspiring and a privilege to return and take responsibility for Flow Technology. Above all, I am looking forward to continuing to develop the businesses together with the companies. The ambition is simple: each company should become stronger on its own merits, while we gradually build an even stronger group. If we succeed in both, Flow Technology will be very well positioned for strong development for many years to come.”
About Flow Technology
Companies in Flow Technology deliver solutions for mechanical flows and fluid handling throughout the value chain. The offering includes valves, fittings, hydraulics, flow technology, treatment, diagnostics and advanced flow calculations. The operations focus on critical functions within industrial processes and critical social infrastructure, where media such as steam, gas and water play a key role.