background & experience

Your partners from clarity to impact

Ready to unlock your business potential? Bearing 45 does tailored consulting & interim management solutions.

ABOUT US

Bearing 45 partners with business leaders, investors and founders to drive rapid impact in high-stakes moments of growth and innovation.


Together, we solve your toughest strategic and operational challenges. Our Partnership models—from Value Pilots to Joint Ventures—are all tailored to bridge your gap between end-to-end strategy and high-impact engagement, led by experienced advisors and leaders.


Our advisory is augmented by our AI Business Council—a strategic insight engine designed to stress-test our execution against real-world decision maker archetypes and management frameworks.


With decades of expertise from the client and agency side, we partner with brands and consulting firms. Our hands-on approach means we quickly turn insights to actions, always focusing on your time to value.

OUR IMPACT

Market intelligence

Uncover your commercial potential, customer needs and operational opportunities


Strategy & innovation

Refine your value propositions, proof-of-concepts and business cases


Technology & insights

Accelerate innovation, improve market alignment and de-risk your commercial strategy


Hands-on leadership

Execute your strategy with expert guidance, driving progress and internal ownership


COMMITMENT

We grow with your business

As a leader, you've seen it before: Strategies that fail to deliver, initiatives that lose momentum and a disconnect between planning and execution.


Often, this happens when strategies are developed in a black box, disconnected from the realities of your organization. Even the best ideas get lost in translation, failing to bridge the gap between vision and reality.


We understand these challenges. Operating at the intersection of business, brand and technology, we know that real progress requires more than just reports.

Where some advisors leave you with more questions than answers, we stay to decode and clarify your path forward, ensuring internal buy-in and true ownership.


Our modular Partnership models are designed to fit your specific business life cycle—wether identifying new growth opportunities or optimizing operations in times of change.


This commitment to co-pilot your greatest challenges is also reflected in our commercial model, where we offer the option of Joint Ventures and outcome based compensation. 

Person in protective gear looking through a microscope in a laboratory.

Healthcare

Indoor car show with electric vehicles on display; people looking at cars.

Automotive & Mobility

Server room with rows of glowing server racks in blue and purple light.

Hardware & Infrastructure

Consumer & Retail

Professional services

FMCG

Software & SaaS

Financial services

Telecom

Manufacturing

Construction

Consumer tech

Real estate

Healthcare

Automotive & Mobility

EXPERIENCE

With decades on the agency and client side, we partner with brands and consulting firms

16

Industries

80

Brands

80%

International

20+

Years

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Download our one-pager, a 90 second summary of our story and how we partner

TEAM

Your business partners

COMMERCIAL

Strategy & Growth

INNOVATION

Product & Experience

MARKETING

Strategy & Performance

EXECUTIVE

Leadership & Change

Daniel Askergren

BUSINESS INNOVATION & GROWTH |

SENIOR ADVISORY & LEADERSHIP


  • Capabilities

    Business advisory: Corporate & Commercial strategy, Product design & development, Brand & Marketing, Sales strategy & operations, Digital strategy & operations

    Partnerships & Engagement: Project & Program leadership, Stakeholder management, Relationship building, Risk management, Portfolio management

    Operations: Consultancy leadership, Organizational development, Leadership development, Change management, M&As: Due diligence & post-merger integration

    Finance: P&L managementForecasting & analysis, Pricing strategy & optimization, Deal structuring, M&A valuation  

  • Industry experience

    Automotive & Mobility: Passenger vehicles, Commercial vehicles, Connected services

    FMCG: Food & Beverages

    Financial Services: Commercial & retail banking, Private equity, Payment processors, Fintech, Insurance  

    Manufacturing: Construction & infrastructure, Materials technology, Electronics, Forestry & gardening equipment 

    Professional Services: Management consulting, IT, Legal, Design, Adverstising, Media  

    Real Estate: Commercial development, Private housing

    Retail: Consumer electronics, eCommerce, Groceries, Store development     

    Technology: IT infrastructure, Software and applications, Cloud computing, SaaS, Data & analytics, AI, Telecom    

    Transportation & Logistics: Public transport 

    Other: Gaming, Non-profit organizations, Education    

  • Resume

    2020- HMN Works/Bearing 45

    2024 Lynxeye

    2021-2023 Valtech

    2020-2021 If Insurances Nordics

    2019-2020 Next State

    2017-2019 INGO Stockholm/Brand union

    2016-2017 Open Communication 

    2015-2016 Ottoboni/Nordic Morning 

    2011-2015 Nord DDB

    2009-2010 Minnesota Communication

    2006-2011 Fältman & Malmén/DraftFCB/ Norweb

    2003-2006 SVID, Swedish Industrial Design Foundation

    2000-2003 FutureLab

  • Education

    1996-2001

    Master of Science in Business and Economics, Stockholm University


    2006

    Strategic Planning, Berghs School of Communication


    2001 

    Intellectual Property law & Marketing, Berghs School of Communication

For over two decades in Professional services, Daniel has partnered with more than 50 diverse brands, from global industry leaders to local entrepreneurs. 


With vast experience from Commercial Leadership roles at Nordic and global agencies and consultancies, Daniel has driven growth and profitability, scaled regional operations and built high-value client partnerships and portfolios.


Throughout his career he has led and coached clients on different markets through the complexities of shifting business and brand strategies, emerging technologies and evolving customer behavior.


Daniel is committed to helping leaders build a more resilient business, by converting customer and market intelligence into distinct competitive advantages and commercial models. He partners with management and teams to create a more adaptive, curious and customer-centric strategy to accelerate innovation, business performance and market value.

Marketing

Strategy & Planning

BRAND

Portfolio Management

Innovation

Product Development

EXECUTIVE

Group Management

Susanne Blomberg

BRAND & MARKETING |
MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING


  • Capabilities

    Strategy & Growth: Business strategy & management, Product development, Go-to-market, Brand & marketing strategy, Brand portfolio management, Digital strategy & management, Sales strategy & management

    Operations and finance: Organizational

    development, Group management, Project management

    Finance: Budgeting & financial steering, Pricing strategy & optimization, Financial forecasting & analysis   

  • Industry experience

    Food & Beverages: Dairy Products, Baked goods, Snacks, Organic & Health foods  

    Real Estate: Residential construction, Real estate development, Real estate brokerage  

    Electronics: Consumer electronics

    Healthcare: Over-the-counter drugs  

    Wholesale Trade/Distribution: Electronics wholesalers  

  • Resume

    2020- HMN Works/Bearing 45

    2025- Viatris

    2022-2024 Rexel/Gigamedia

    2021-2022 Lantmännen 

    2020-2021 GSK Sweden

    2015-2019 SSM

    2009-2014 LG Electronics 

    2007-2009 Arla foods

    2000-2007 Kraft foods

  • Education

    2025

    Mini MBA, Brand management


    2024

    Mini MBA, Marketing


    2020

    Sustainability of the World

    Stockholm University


    1995-2000 

    Master, Business Administration

    Linköping University


    1998-1999

    Business/Managerial Economics

    The University of Freiburg


    1994-1995

    Université Catholique d'Angers

Susanne is a creative and driven marketing leader with over 20 years of experience in international markets, with a focus on consumer and professional goods.


She has a proven track record of product development, building strong brands, driving business growth and developing high-performing teams. 


Susanne has held various roles, including Marketing Director and management positions, with expertise in marketing leadership, brand management and interim management.


She is passionate about businesses with a clear focus on sustainability, brand distinctiveness and customer behaviour. 

OUR INSIGHT ENGINE

The AI Business Council

Meet our strategic sounding board. Since the spring of 2025, they are an augmented part of our daily operations, constantly pushing us forward in understanding the dynamics and challenges of our market and clients.


The Council is based on five professional decision maker archetypes – representing Management, Entreprenurship, Business strategy, Sales, Brand & Marketing and Digital development.

Built with distinct personalities and viewpoints, we have spent hundreds of hours training, testing, simulating and debating, refining our own business and delivery models versus their strategic hurdles, pains and gains.


Ultimately, the Council exists to strengthen our ability to be even more precise and impactful in every aspect of our client relationships.

Common questions

Experience & expertise

  • Do you specialize in any specific industries?

    Our clients come to us with a variety of challenges and our Partnership models are tailored to solve them regardless of the sector. With experience across 80 brands in 16 industries, we bring cross-sector insights to every engagement, including B2C and B2B.


    Our experience includes:  

    Automotive, Construction, Education, Electronics, Financial services, FMCG, Food & Beverages, Gaming, Healthcare, Manufacturing, NGOs, Professional services, Real estate, Retail, Technology, Transportation & Logistics

  • Do you work with international clients?

    Yes, we bring extensive international experience to every engagement. Collectively, we've worked on assignments for brands with a global footprint or Nordic operations, with this experience making up approximately 80% of our professional careers. This background has equipped us with a proven process for remote collaboration and the ability to manage the complexities of international assignments, from market dynamics to cultural nuances. 

Way of working

  • Do you have a specific collaboration model?

    Our clients operate in fast-paced environments and our model is tailored to your specific operations. We always focus on balancing new opportunities with the need to maintain operational efficiency.


    Validation: 
Are you getting the most out of your business strategy and operations? We work with you to navigate your goals, market and culture. Through workshops, market data and customer research we gather the insights needed to validate your next strategic or operational decisions. This can serve as a standalone pre-study or as part of a larger engagement.


    Strategy and Concept: We translate insights into clear directions and actionable roadmaps, using strategic prototyping to increase internal buy-in and simplify complex stakeholder decisions. This allows us to test ideas early, ensuring the final direction is both market-aligned and supported by your organization.


    Activation: We lead your stakeholders and teams through the activation process, providing guidance and facilitating internal ownership. This includes regular check-ins and reviews to ensure the execution stays on track and delivers the intended results.


    In addition, we use established frameworks in areas like Business and Product Innovation and Design development, adapting them to your specific needs and context. 


  • Do you offer team-based consulting?

    We primarily work as individual advisors and consultants but have access to an international network of specialists in areas like market research, communication, technology and private equity, allowing us to scale our expertise when needed.

Services & engagement

  • Do you offer different Partnership models?

    Our models are designed for your different needs and commercial journey, focusing on advisory and embedded leadership: 


    The Value Pilot: Our custom project model, starting at 1-week engagements, is designed to validate and refine your commercial models and initiatives. Ensure your next business opportunity or investment is built on a solid foundation and actionable market insights.


    Advisory on Demand: Guide your growth through consistent, outside-in expert perspectives. This model operates on a monthly subscription with a minimum of two engagements per month, providing SMEs and new ventures with reliable commercial steering.


    Business Acceleration Sprint: Our 90-day Plug & Play-model is built to run and refine your most critical initiatives. We focus on driving immediate momentum across your business and brand strategy, marketing or sales operations.


    Interim Management: We provide temporary leadership positions, typically within a 6–12 month timeframe, to bridge critical gaps. This model stabilizes operations and secures continuity during urgent initiatives or periods of organizational change   


    Fractional Management: Gain ongoing senior expertise to embed strategic guidance into your daily operations, typically at a 0.5 FTE commitment. This allows you to scale management capacity without the investment of a full-time hire.


    The Pivot: Our fully customized Joint Venture-model is designed to transform your next venture. Whether it is market expansion, exit planning or a total business overhaul, we partner deeply to navigate high-stakes transitions.

  • What is your compensation model?

    Project-based: Our fixed budget model for well-defined initiatives, such as our 1-week Value Pilot, focusing on clear scopes and deliverables.  


    Fixed-term agreements: For Interim Management roles, we typically use agreements with a predetermined duration (6-12 months) and a corresponding fixed monthly budget.     


    Fractional Management: Retainer agreements with a fixed monthly budget for a set number of days per month.


    Advisory on Demand, subscription model: For ongoing access to senior strategic guidance, we offer flexible monthly or quarterly subscriptions. This provides a minimum of 2 senior advisory contacts per month, ensuring predictable access to expert insights without the cost and commitment of a full-time consultant or hire.


    Outcome-based & Equity partnership: For engagements where success is clearly measurable and aligned with specific business outcomes, we offer compensation models that share both the risks and rewards. This include outcome-based fees tied to achieving pre-defined targets, or equity-based partnerships where we become invested in your long-term success.

     

Governance & standards

  • How do you ensure the quality of your work?

    With vast operational experience, we always make sure the specific project or assignment has a clear description of the scope and expected deliverables. Our process also ensures ongoing iterations and follow-ups, securing that we in an early phase can act on unforeseen changes to the original scope.

  • How do you handle intellectual property rights?

    We understand the importance of protecting your intellectual property. We proactively discuss IP ownership at the start of every assignment and are happy to sign non-disclosure agreements to ensure confidentiality. We typically grant you full ownership of all deliverables created during the assignment and are also open to customizing agreements to meet your specific needs.

  • What are your data security, AI and privacy policies?

    We take a proactive approach to data security and privacy, with policies and procedures that ensure your confidential information is protected. This includes strict guidelines for the responsible use of AI, and our internal platform the AI Business Council. We ensure your data is not used for training our models and we employ secure data storage and encryption methods.

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The Value Pilot

Validate & Prototype

Explore

Advisory on Demand

Access & Clarity

Explore

Plug & Play

Run & Refine

Explore

Interim & Fractional

Bridge & Build

Explore

The Pivot

Joint Venture

Explore

PARTNERSHIP MODELS

We grow with your business

Your commercial journey deserves a partnership that adapts as you scale.


Our Partnership models are designed to shift with your needs—from rapid strategic sprints to embedded, long-term leadership—ensuring you always have the optimal level of expertise.