Torbjörn Appehl Reflects on His 24 Years' IT Experience

Title: Management consultant
Company name: Built on Power
Company’s function: Provide competence, experience and network around IBM Power Systems
Headquarters: Stockholm
IT Experience: 24 years

How did you end up in IT? I was going to start studying at university when a person I recently met asked me if I would like to work for IBM. There was an opening for a temporary job while they moved the PC Competence Center (PCCC) to Scotland. After six months, IBM asked me if I was interested in working with AS/400, or what’s now the IBM Power Systems platform. “Sure, what’s that?” I said, and here we are.

What business skill would you most like to acquire or improve? I’d like to learn to become a programmer myself. It’s strange that I’m not already as I’m surrounded by many of the best IBM i developers in the world.

What trends are affecting your work? Cloud is still greatly affecting my work, but in both directions nowadays. The era when cloud was the only solution that was supposed to fit all companies is over, which is good.

What’s been your biggest accomplishment? Together with my wife, that would be bringing our wonderful kids to the world. It’s amazing to see how they grow—and especially how they love each other.

What’s your favorite activity outside of work? Cooking, spending time with family and friends, going skiing or just spending the time in our new vacation home we bought by a lake.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home from work each day? I work from home, but in general, it’s planning for dinner. I like cooking and make all of our food from real ingredients. It takes some time but it’s totally worth it.

What’s your favorite book or movie (and why)? “Still Aliens” is my favorite. I think the whole atmosphere amazes me still. Will it be like that sometime in the future?

What’s your favorite sound? When the kids are laughing together and just cannot stop.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Relax, think twice and try to put yourself into another person’s situation.

What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you? I’m kind of an open book. But some people still don’t know that Tor = Thor and Björn = bear (not teddy bear, but more grizzly).